Shall We Dance
by ayshrina tan
Summary: She's a sweetheart, He's a cold hearted bastard, She's new in school, He basically runs it. She thinks he's a jerk. He thinks she's annoying. She's in love... so is he.[SASUSAKU] Rated M for SLV. From the author of Where we Met
1. 1: The sighting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... (cry).

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**Lady Rine Says:** Yes people i'm back yet again... and with another SASUSAKU fan fic. Yes there will be more pairings later, like NEJITEN and NARUHINA stuff like that. i hope you like this fan fic too. My last one wasn't that great... (s-drop). SO i'm trying to redeem myself. TEE HEE HEE! (nervous laugh). Heh. ENJOY!

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_**WARNING:**_This fic is rated **"M"** for mature content, such as **sex**, vulgar **language**, intimate dance scenes, and some** violence**. 

This fic is also OOC. not too much though, i hope. (cheezy smile.)

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In the past i've been commended on my updating speed. (for the record it was a chapter a day). But because i'm starting to work more hours at my job and school is starting soon, i'm pretty pressed for time. And so, as a result my speed of updating will slow down _SLIGHTLY!_

It COULD get as slow as a chapter every 2-3 days... at WORST a chapter a week.

But i doubt it'll get that slow.

ENJOY!

**(heart) always.**

**Lady Rine.

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_Shall We Dance_

_By: (the one and only) Lady Rine_**

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Chapter 1: INTRO--- The sighting. **

Chapter 1: INTRO--- The sighting. 

"She's beautiful!" A blonde boy blurted out. As usual the famous 4 were at the swiftest club in all of Konoha. How they got in at age 16 will forever remain a mystery, but this was the famous 4! They could pretty much do anything they wanted to do. The blonde boy had spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen!

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Uzumaki Naruto- Age 16; hair color: blonde; eye color: blue; height: 5'11"; Status: Junior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance… unlimited; family: None, lives alone; Member of the famous 4; alias: number one loud mouth.

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"Shut up!" Replied a rather lazy boy with his brown hair in a spiky pony tail. "You're so freakken loud!" He took a sip of his dry martini. "Jeez you're so troublesome." He mumbled afterwards.

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Nara Shikamaru- Age 16; hair color: light brown; eye color: brown; height: 6'0"; Status: Junior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: 3, 856, 000 yen; family: Only Child, lives with parents; Member of the famous 4; alias: lazy genius.

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A boy sighed; his hair was long and tied in a low pony tail. "We might as well see who he's talking about." He took a sip of his 'Sex on the beach' and looked in the direction Naruto was pointing too with his strange white eyes.

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Hyuuga Neji- Age 17; hair color: dark brown; eye color: white; height: 6'2"; Status: Senior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: 4, 231, 000 yen; family: Only Child, lives with cousins and uncle; Member of the famous 4; alias: Mysterious one.

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"…" The last boy remained silent. His hands clasped together in front of his face, blocking view of his lips. His onyx eyes were cold and he silently agreed with Neji and looked over.

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Uchiha Sasuke- Age 16; hair color: jet black; eye color: dark enough to be black; height: 6'1"; Status: Junior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: unlimited; family: disclosed, lives alone; Member of the famous 4; alias: ice cube.

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"So which one is she dobe?" Sasuke said coolly. He seemed sort of bored.

"I've seen the same girls in this place over and over; she's probably just another regular from school." Neji said taking another sip from his drink.

"No way! I've never seen her here before. I've never seen her at school either" Naruto coaxed.

"So where is she?" Shikamaru asked. He too was bored.

"There! That one!" Naruto pointed to a particular girl on the dance floor dancing with a random guy.

The guys looked over. She was pretty. Nice long legs, tall torso, they guessed C-size breast. But what really got their attention was her jaded eyes and pink hair.

"Wow, for once the idiot is right." Shikamaru scoffed.

"She is quite curvy. I've never seen her around here at all." Neji said nodding in a slight approval. "What do you think Uchiha?"

Sasuke looked at her over and over again. Examining her from head to toe. She was indeed the most beautiful girl he has ever laid eyes on. But then again, like he'd ever admit it.

"She's okay." He said going back to his drink.

"OKAY!" Naruto scolded. "SHE'S FUCKING BLOODY GORGEOUS! GOR-GE-OUES! Bloody hell! Are you blind bastard?"

"Shut up dobe!" Sasuke was rather annoyed.

Naruto smirked. Neji rolled his eyes and Shikamaru sighed. "Let me guess another bet?" Shikamaru whispered to Neji who just nodded his head.

"I bet she's out of your league."

Sasuke tensed.

Naruto beamed. "I bet, you couldn't get her to dance with you."

"What did you say?" Sasuke's eyebrow was twitching.

"I bet, you couldn't go over there and sweep her away form that ugly looking fellow she's dancing with."

"Oh really?" Sasuke was really annoyed now.

"I bet you couldn't get her to have a drink with you." Naruto rambled on and on feeling pretty smug.

"Who do you think I am?"

"Bet you couldn't get her name and number." Naruto gave his mischievous foxy grin.

"Is that a challenge?" Sasuke smirked.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto roared. Slamming his fist on the table.

"You're on dobe!"

"Go for it…" Neji said sarcastically he and Shikamaru lifted their glasses in a mock cheer. Shikamaru looked like he was going to fall asleep. He was leaning on the table where they were sitting, his heavy head propped up with his palm.

"Gambatte…" He said following Neji's lead of sarcasm.

Naruto was dying in his chair laughing. Sasuke glared at all of them. Then he got up and made his way through the dance floor over to the bar.

The pink haired girl had managed to pull herself away from the guy she was dancing with and sat her self down with a fellow female. The other female had chestnut brown hair that was up in two Chinese buns.

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Ten Ten (ha! Ten Ten has no surname according to the series.)- Age 17; hair color: chestnut brown; eye color: hazel; height: 5'3"; Status: Senior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: 1, 900, 000 yen; family: Only Child, lives with parents; alias: weapon master.

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"Jeez Ten Ten, did you have to make the dare so annoying? I'm lucky I got away from him at all!"

Ten Ten roared with laughter. "You're fault! You lost the drinking game."

The pink haired girl laughed at her friend. "I'm still trying to figure out how we got into this club in the first place!" She smiled. Her emerald eyes shining.

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Haruno Sakura- Age 16; hair color: pale pink; eye color: emerald green; height: 5'2"; Status: (soon to be) junior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: 20, 000 yen; family: Only Child, lives alone; alias: unknown.

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"Don't worry about it!" Ten Ten said. "Pretty much everyone who goes to Konoha Private School comes here."

"I see." Sakura mused, finishing off her mudslide. "These are good." She lifted up the glass, Ten Ten raised hers too. "I'm going to get another one." Sakura got up and squeezed through the crowed.

"Okay." Ten Ten nodded to her friend and watched her head over to the bar.

--

"Same thing miss?" the bartender asked. Sakura nodded in response. "Coming right up." He smiled at her.

Sakura waited a little bit, and then the bartender came back with her drink. "Here you go miss, that's 1, 365 yen. Sakura reached into her purse for her money.

"Put it on my tab." A stern cool voice said.

"Yes sir!" The bartender replied.

Sakura looked up at the man who bought her the drink. Dark mysterious eyes, messy spikes of raven black hair, he was quite a looker. She smiled at him.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He smirked at her. Looking into her jade eyes. _"For once the dobe was right."_

Sakura smiled at him again and took a sip from her drink.

"I haven't seen you around here before." He said to her.

"I'm new."

"Aa…" Sasuke waved the bartender over. "Hypnotic."

"Yes sir!" He poured him a glass. And Sasuke took it. He turned around and faced the dance floor, his back leaning against the bar.

"You here with anyone?" She blinked and paused before answering, then chuckled a bit. _"Well he's persistent."_ She thought. _"Probably wants something."_

"An old friend."

"Oh?" He cocked an eyebrow at her. She giggled. _"He, probably thinks I was with that wired guy from earlier." _She eyed him from the corner of her eye and pretended to watch the people dancing. Leaning backwards on the bar, copying his stance, she glanced at him once more. _"This one is cute."_

"Yeah, she's sitting somewhere over there." Sakura pointed where she had sat with Ten Ten. Ten Ten was drinking Smirnoff tonight, black cherry twist.

"I've seen her before." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Do you know her?" She raised an eyebrow. _"Small world."_

"I think she goes to my school." He took a long sip of his drink.

"Yeah right?" Sakura looked at him, giving him a seductive smirk. _"Well then I'll be seeing more of you then I hope."_

"Yeah, so where are you going?"

"Same school as her."

"So I'll guess I'll be seeing you around there then." He replied smirking.

"I guess so." Sakura finished her drink and placed the empty glass on the bar top counter. "I better be getting back to my friend."

Sakura pushed herself off the bar and started towards Ten Ten. Sasuke caught her wrist.

"Wait."

She looked over her shoulder and smiled. "Yes?"

"Dance with me."

"What?" She was taken back slightly. _"He is persistent, kind of rude. Was that a command?"_

"Dance with me."

"Is that an order or a request?"

"Anything you want it to be." He smirked at her. She paused for a moment.

_"Well, he's cute, a little bit of a jerk, sort of sweet... I'm so not ready for this! I'm going to kill Ten Ten!."_

"Another time." She winked at him and started to walk off. _"I'm probably not going to see him again."_ She turned around one more time. "Thanks for the drink!" She smiled once more playfully then turned and made her way through the crowed.

Sasuke was shocked at her response, but he couldn't help but smirk. He watched her vanish into the crowed. Keeping an eye out for that pink hair of hers. No girl has ever turned Uchiha Sasuke down; actually he scarcely ever made a move on a girl, but when he did no girl ever turned him down. _"What the hell just happened there? Is she playing hard to get?"_ He returned to his table where Naruto was laughing he had seen everything.

"So, how'd she turn you down?" Naruto laughed.

"Shut up dobe."

"So you did fail Uchiha?" Neji looked at him and shook his head in disappointment. "I expected more from you."

"Heh, Uchiha Sasuke got shot down by a girl? I can't be that drunk for that to be true." Shikamaru said lazily.

"Shut up. It wasn't a complete loss." Sasuke said trying to redeem himself.

"Did you at least get her name?" Neji asked. Naruto was still laughing. Shikamaru knocked him in the head from annoyance.

"No, but she's friend with the weapon master's daughter, what's her name, the brunette with the buns." Sasuke sat back down and eyed the pink haired girl and her friend. He watched her laugh and tuck a loose strand of her long pink hair behind and ear.

"Ten Ten." Shimakaru said. "She's friends with your cousin Neji."

"With Hinata?" He looked at the girl with the Chinese buns. "How do you know that?"

"I see them at lunch sometimes." The lazy boy answered. Bored once again.

"She'll be going to our school. There will be plenty chances to get to know her. Besides how many girls do you know that have pink hair?" Sasuke smirked.

"I know that look… you have a plan don't you bastard?" Naruto asked, recovering from Shikamaru's blow to his head.

"You'll see…" Sasuke said still eyeing the pretty pink girl.

--

"Rise, bow, give respect!" The class representative called.

"OHAYO! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" They chimed.

"Morning class." Their teacher answered lazily, his nose in a small little book.

"Be seated!" The representative called again. And the class sat down.

"Hey, the pervert's actually on time!" Naruto whispered to Shikamaru.

"I heard that Uzumaki!" Kakashi said suddenly appearing in front of Naruto's face. Naruto gave his famous foxy grin.

"I was just kidding Sensei!" He said chuckling a little bit. His arms folded behind his head and he leaned back on his chair. He lifted his legs to put his feet on his desk, a stance he was known for, "You need to relax a little bit-AH-AH-AH!"

THUD!

Naruto had leaned back a little too much and fell backwards off his chair. The room burst into laughter. Naruto got up and dusted himself off. Re-adjusting the loose tie of his uniform, he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. The class was still laughing except for Kakashi, Shikamaru and Sasuke who twitched in annoyance.

"Dobe…" Sasuke scoffed. He started looking out the window, ignoring everything around him. His everyday routine. What made today any different?

"ANYWAY." Kakashi began, "I'm early for a reason." There was a knock at the door. "Ah, that must be the reason now." He made his way back to the front of the class. "Come in!"

A girl with pastel pink hair up in a messy bun walked in the door. Naruto gasped.

"That CAN'T be _her_!" He said to Shikamaru. Sasuke heard him and glanced at the girl. He was right, that couldn't possibly be the girl the guys had seen the other night at the club. For one thing, she didn't look nearly as curvy or cute. She was wearing the school vest, and it was too big for her apparently. It looked bulgy and nasty and made her look like a thick straight line. Her kilt was ironed nicely though, but the full length stockings weren't doing it. It made her legs look short and stubby. She had thick framed glasses on her face! You couldn't tell what color her eyes were or what she looked like for that matter. No, that couldn't POSSIBLY be the girl from the club. NO WAY! The only resemblance was the hair.

But there was just something about her…

"I'm guessing you haven't received a blazer for the junior year yet?" Kakashi asked eyeing the vest which only freshmen wore. She shook her head in response. "Ahh…okay. Well then, introduce yourself. Your name, Likes, Dislikes and Ambition."

She faced the class. _"I wish Ten Ten was with me. I hate public speaking!"_ She took a deep breath then in a shy soft voice she spoke up. "Eto…Ano… My name is Haruno Sakura."

Sasuke's ears perked up. _"That voice, she sounds like that girl. But she can't be… can she?" _He thought.

"My likes? Ano… well, I like music and dancing, reading… stuff like that. As for dislikes, emm… I don't like loudmouths…"

"Rules you out Uzumaki!" Shikamaru said loud enough for the entire class to hear. They burst into laughter.

"Shut up you lazy ass!" Naruto screamed back at his seatmate.

"SHUT UP!" Kakashi interrupted glaring. He faced Sakura afterwards. "Please continue Sakura." He said smiling under his mask at her. What a sudden change in mood. It stunned her slightly. She blinked several times, even though no one could tell with THOSE glasses on.

"Umm. Okay… I don't like lazy people either."

"HA! That's you Nara!" Naruto yelled back. Laughter again, but they were cut off by Kakashi.

"HEY!" Kakashi glared at him again. Then turned back to Sakura and smiled, she continued.

"Umm, I also don't like people who are cold… and I'd rather not say my ambition…" Sakura said her gaze at the floor. "That's it."

"Okay then. Have a seat next to… let's see." Kakashi looked around the room; there was only one vacant seat. "Uchiha Sasuke."

"EHHHH!" The girls cried in unison.

"NEH! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" A rather annoying blond girl said standing up and pointing to Sakura, "Why does the ugly new girl get to sit next to Sasuke-kun?"

"Because she's not annoying." Naruto said out loud. Shikamaru laughed, Sasuke smirked.

"SHUT UP MORON!" She snapped. Turning her head and glared at him.

"Because Ino, it's the only empty seat." Kakashi said coolly. "Now sit." She sat back down, pouting. "Sasuke stand up so she knows who you are."

Sasuke sighed, placed his hands on his desk and pushed himself up. His face was still and emotionless. Eyes were dark and silent. He was wearing the male school uniform without the white tie. This was just pretty much just a black polo shirt with thin white stitched trimming and black dress pants with matching shoes. His shirt wasn't even tucked in like it was SUPPOSED to be. Then again none of the guys had their shirts tucked, neither did the girls. Sakura looked at him. _"It can't be… that's the guy from the club!" _She thought walking up to him. She didn't look at him once she got close enough and took her seat, she didn't want to look like she was attracted to him. Which she was, slightly. What did you expect? He's good looking.

Sasuke sat down too. _"Guess he doesn't recognize me… or remember me at all. I don't blame him; Ten Ten dressed me up anyway. I'm not exactly attractive on my own."_ She convinced herself that there was no way a guy like Sasuke could look at a girl like her. Her gaze became permanent at the front of the class since Kakashi had started his lesson.

Sasuke stole a glance at the girl. She seemed familiar. She even sounded like the girl he had met that night. But she looked like such a…a…. a nerd. Heavy glasses he couldn't even see through, and the ridiculous vest and stockings. _"She probably received the wrong uniform" _He sighed at went back to gazing out the window. _"I wonder where that girl is now…"_ He thought to himself.

--

"SAKURA! OVER HERE!" Ten Ten yelled. A shy girl was sitting next to her. Ten Ten stood up and waved her hand in the air. Sakura smiled and walked over holding a paper bag with her actual uniform in it. She had just come from seeing the principal Tsunande.

"Hi!" Sakura greeted. Sitting down across from them.

"Sakura, this is my friend Hyuuga Hinata."

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**_Click: Photo shot:_**_ Hyuuga Hinata- Age 16; hair color: navy blue; eye color: white; height: 5'1"; Status: Junior at Konoha Private School; weekly allowance: 4, 231, 000 yen (same as cousin Neji); family: Oldest Child, lives with cousin, younger sister and father; alias: the shy one.

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"H-Hi." Hinata stammered waving a small shy wave.

"Hello Hinata-chan." Sakura smiled at her.

"Hinata, this is my childhood friend Haruno Sakura. She and I were neighbors before I moved here like 10 years ago. When I found out she was moving to Konoha, I insisted she came here!" Ten Ten smiled, glowing with pride.

"Even though I can't exactly afford to come to this school." Sakura said in a low voice trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You're here aren't you?" Ten Ten mused nudging her shoulder. "You'll love it here!"

"I hope so…" Sakura said. She couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm.

"Neh, what happened to your NICE glasses?" Ten Ten asked pointing to the large thick framed glasses on Sakura's face.

"Oh, they broke. I got to pick up the new ones after school. In the mean time, I have to wear these when I'm in class." Sakura answered.

"D-Do you w-wear them a-all the t-time?" Hinata asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't have too, I like to, that's all."

"Oh, H-how come?"

"Umm… because…" Sakura stuttered,

"Because she doesn't like people looking at her." Ten Ten said rolling her eyes. "I don't understand! You have such a cute face and you hide it behind your glasses! What a waist." Ten Ten sighed.

"I don't!" Sakura scolded. "I don't have a cute face to begin with so _why_ bother _hiding_ it when it _doesn't_ exist!"

"Yeah right." Ten Ten scoffed. "Come on; show Hinata your face then. We can't see it under those HIDEOUS glasses."

Sakura paused.

"I'd l-like to know what c-color your eyes are at least." Hinata said shyly. She was curious to how Sakura looked like.

"F-fine…" Sakura agreed. She closed her eyes and took off her glasses. She opened her eyes again.

Ten Ten smiled. "I win." She grinned. Hinata blinked partly in shock. Sakura shoved her glasses back on.

"Happy now?" She looked at Ten Ten.

"Much!" She replied triumphantly a huge grin plastered on her face.

--

"And she has pink hair too?" Neji asked. He was a year older so he didn't have the same class as the rest of the guys. His uniform was the same except he had a grey trim instead of a white one since he was a senior. And he was one of the famous 4 who actually wore a tie, unlike Naruto, he wore it properly.

"Yeahha!" Naruto said between slurps of his ramen. As usual the famous 4 were having lunch on the roof. Shikamaru was on his back cloud watching, Naruto was eating, Sasuke was leaning over the railing and Neji was leaning against a wall.

"But she's _not_ the girl from the club?" Neji raised an eyebrow.

"She couldn't be! The girl from the club was hot. And she had long hair." Naruto replied.

"But Haruno-san's hair was in a bun! Dumbass! How could you tell how long it was?" Shikamaru said still gazing at the clouds.

"I guessed! DUH!" Naruto went back to eating.

"Dobe…" Sasuke sighed. _"Is she? I wonder… she sounds like her."_ He shrugged it off.

"Well, you never know. This Haruno Sakura could be the mystery girl from the club. After all, how many girls do you know that have _pink_ hair?" Neji pushed off the wall and walked towards the stairwell.

"He's right eh." Shikamaru got up and followed Neji's lead. "Watch Sakura actually be the mystery girl." He chuckled.

"Impossible!" Naruto laughed. "Have you _seen_ those glasses?"

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So how was it? 

R&R please!

until next time!

-Lady Rine


	2. 2: Revelation

**Lady Rine says:** Two days? it's been two days right? right?

i hope so.

I'm glad you guys liked the first chapter. I'm liking where this story is leading me, in terms of what i can write and make happen. SO many ideas. TEE HEE HEE!

anywho here's chapter 2.

ENJOY!

don't forget to R&R!

(heart) always

-Lady Rine**

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Chapter 2: Revelation, mystery solved.

Word got around school that the famous and ever so popular group of 4 was looking for a mystery girl from the club. Rumors spread like how the mystery girl shared a certain resemblance to the new junior classmen, Haruno Sakura. By the last period the whole school was buzzing with talk of the mystery girl.

"They say she was the hottest one at the club." A girl said. A bunch of them were waiting for their next teacher and they were crowded around Ino's desk.

"I remember seeing a girl with pink hair at the club. She was _very _pretty; Haruno-san isn't pretty at all! So it can't be her!" Another said.

"Demo… Haruno-san has glasses and you can't tell what she actually looks like." The other girls shot this girl a deadly look. She backed away slightly.

"Whatever!" Ino finally chimed in. "It's not fair that, _that_ noob gets to sit next to the leader of the famous 4! _My_ Sasuke-kun!" Ino was furious. "DID YOU SEE HER! She's SOOOOOOOOO ugly! And her forehead is HUUUUUUUUUGE!" Ino laughed. The other girls laughed at with her.

From where she was sitting, Sakura could hear every word. But she pretended that she didn't. Instead she buried her nose in the book she was reading. _"Stupid annoying pigs! I've only been here for less than 3 hours and already those girls hate me. I wish Hinata-chan was in this class."_ Sakura sighed. She tried to go back to reading but noticed a fog in her right lens. _"Great, just great!"_ She looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to her. When she was confident there was no one paying any attention to her whatsoever, she slowly removed her glass and cleaned the lens. _"I'll be happy to get rid of these ugly glasses tomorrow."_ She thought holding her glasses up to the light to see if she had gotten rid of the entire smudge.

Naruto, Shikamaru and Sasuke walked into room. The girls squealed as they did every time they walked in.

"Hello ladies!" Naruto gave him his famous foxy grin and a thumbs up.

Cue screaming fan girls.

"This is so troublesome." Shikamaru sighed. He rubbed the back of his neck.

Cue screaming fan girls… again.

"Hum." Sasuke scoffed.

Yay, high pitched school girl screams.

Sasuke sighed and looked around for a way to get out. His eyes fell upon his seatmate in the distance. He froze. He saw her face. _"She's…She's…"_ He couldn't admit it. He saw her simple and beautiful face. And those enchanting emerald eyes. Haruno Sakura was the girl from the club!

"There." Sakura smiled at her handy work and slipped her glasses back on. She resumed reading her book. _"I hope no one saw that…"_

Sasuke pushed through the crowd of screaming fan girls

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino began as he approached her. Her eyes filled with hearts. _"Finally he's coming to me!"_ She squealed with delight.

Sasuke passed her and made his way to his seat. He grinned as he sat down next to her, eyeing her slightly. Sakura seemed oblivious to his gaze this made Ino even angrier.

_"WHAT THE HELL! FOREHEAD GIRL!" _Ino beamed with inner rage.

"You know, that vest doesn't suit you." Sasuke said quietly so only she could hear. He didn't want to let the guys know that he had found his mystery girl, nor did he want to let her know that he knew who she was.

"Eh?" She glanced at him. "Pardon?"

"I said it doesn't suit you… it makes you look bulky."

"Well that's a _great_ thing to say." She snapped back at him being sarcastic. _"What the hell! He's rude and demanding at the club and now he's being a prick! Pfft! JERK!" _She thought. Her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"And those glasses really don't work." He smirked.

"What's wrong with my glasses!"

"They're ugly."

_"Thank you captain obvious! I knew that!"_ She screamed in her head. _"Unbelievable! This is the first time he's talked to me all day! How rude!"_ She wrinkled her nose. "They're old." She scoffed and went back to her book.

Sasuke sighed. _"Heh, payback. No one turns me down."_ "I think you'd look much better with your hair down." He continued. Smirking.

"It gets in the way." She said sharply. "Do you mind? I'm trying to read."

Sasuke wasn't particularly pleased with the response. He shrugged. "Just saying. I bet you could probably be cute. Or at least decent looking."

That tipped it off. Sakura was fuming. _"WHAT THE FUCK DID HE JUST SAY! OH NO HE DIDN'T! ASSHOLE! I'LL SHOW YOU!"_ She didn't answer him.

Sasuke chuckled. _"She took the bait, now tomorrow she'll at least look cute."_

--

The day ended faster than Sakura had expected. As soon as the bell rang she grabbed all her things and ran out the door.

"She's strange." Shikamaru said watching the girl speed off. "Usually girls would stick around and follow us home. You know the usual troublesome things." He sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Bah, I got detention again from Kakashi-sensei." Naruto frowned. "But I could ditch… again."

The guys walked out of the classroom followed closely by their fan club.

"Yo." Neji greeted joining them in the hallway.

"Hey." Naruto said in reply. Shikamaru and Sasuke nodded silently.

"I never realized that Ten Ten was in my class." Neji began. The guys wondered where he was going with this. Except for Naruto who was gazing into space. "We could just ask her who her friend was." He shrugged. It would be a good way to end things after all.

"That's a good idea." Shikamaru was contemplating of how to ask her.

"Neh Neh! I've got an idea!" Naruto chimed out of nowhere. "We could just ask Ten Ten who she was with that night!" He beamed with pride.

The guys s-dropped.

"Brilliant dobe…" Sasuke shook his head.

"Isn't it?" Naruto's face was overtaken with a gigantic smile.

"You. Are. An. Idiot." Neji said slowly, smacking his forehead with his hand.

"How troublesome…" Shikamaru turned his head away from them and he spotted a familiar brunette with Chinese buns. She was standing next to a shy girl with dark kind of blue hair. They were at the far end of the hallway.

"Hey, speak of the devil. See I told you Ten Ten was friends with Hinata." Shikamaru said pointing in her direction. The guys turned their heads.

"Shall we?" Neji asked them. They just nodded their head in response and followed the hallway to where Ten Ten and Hinata stood.

--

"Sakura!" Ten Ten called to her friend. She had spotted her walking in the hallway. Sakura walked over, she was in a rush, but it was rude to ignore her close friends.

The girls were oblivious to the approaching guys.

"Hello." Sakura smiled at them.

"H-hi!" Hinata waved with a small shy smile.

--

"Neh it's Sakura-chan." Naruto pointed. The guys slowed their pace.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Neji asked Shikamaru.

"Something about… 'glasses are ugly'….'better ones tomorrow'… 'jerk talked to me today'… 'this is why I don't like showing my face'..." He shrugged. "That's all I could hear.

The guys were confused. But Sasuke stiffened. _"She didn't have to make me sound like an asshole…"_

--

"Who does he think he is anyway! That jerk! He insults me during last period! He didn't even bother to say anything to me the whole day and the he comes out of nowhere and insults me!" Sakura was still pretty mad at the way Sasuke had spoken to her. "The nerve of that guy! 'I bet you could probably be cute. Or at least decent looking' blah blah! JERK!" She said mimicking him. "This is why I don't like to show my face!"

"D-demo… not s-showing your f-face got you h-here in the f-first place."

Sakura paused… well, she was right. "He's still jerk!"

"Aww Sakura it's okay." Ten Ten said trying not to laugh.

"Just let it out." Sakura sighed.

"HAHAHAHAHA!" Ten Ten bust out laughing. "I told you those glasses were ugly!"

Sakura balled her fist and twitched in annoyance. "Yeah well at least tomorrow these ugly things will be gone!" She stuck her tongue out at them. Hinata giggled.

"I think S-Sakura-chan l-looks better w-without the g-glasses."

"See Sakura! Even Hinata agrees with me!"

Sakura shrugged. "Okay fine! I'll get rid of the glasses when I'm ready okay?"

The other girls nodded.

"I have to get going now." Sakura said turning to leave. "Ja!" She waved good-bye and jogged off.

The two girls waved to her then turned and left as well.

--

"Well, so much for asking Ten Ten." Shikamaru shrugged. They watched the girls depart.

"I'll just ask her tomorrow." Neji said. He never really talked to anyone in his class. He didn't feel like it. He only ones he really talked to were three guys he was walking out of the school with at the moment.

Their fan club trailing behind them.

"Yea yea! Let's get some ramen!" Naruto screamed.

"Don't you have detention?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, but Kakashi-sensei won't noti—"

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" They heard an angry voice.

"Got to go bye!" Naruto made a mad dash out of the school grounds. Shikamaru burst into laughter, Neji chuckled and Sasuke smirked.

--

_Beeeeeeeep! _

_Beeeeeeeep! _

_Beeeeeeeep! _

Sakura groaned as she knocked her alarm clock off the night stand. She lazily pushed herself up, swung her long slender legs off the side of her bed and stood up. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she made her way to the washroom. She took a shower and brushed her teeth. She peered into the mirror while brushing her hair. A voice popped into her head.

_"I think you'd look much better with your hair down." He said smirking._

"Baka asshole…." She sighed. _"Ten Ten said the exact same thing…"_ She sighed again. _"Maybe just once?" _ She thought. She decided to do it for Ten Ten, _"Not for that jerk Uchiha Sasuke… what the hell is his problem anyway!" _

She brushed her long hair, parted it on a right side slant and clipped her bangs with two thin green clips. Then she went back to her room and pulled out her _proper_ uniform. They had made a mistake in giving her the wrong uniform. She slipped on the grey-ish pleated all over kilt that she had adjusted last night, it was now about halfway up her thigh, perfect length, and she could touch the hem with her fingertips. That was MUCH better than it going down to her knees. And it rested on her hips.

She pulled a white polo shirt and buttoned it, leaving the top two buttons undone. She didn't like the tie, so she didn't bother to put it on hurrah for tie-optional. After pulling on a pair of socks (that went up to the middle of her calf and had the school's symbol sewed on) she sighed and loosely tucked in the shirt in her kilt. Then she put on her barrette, something that only juniors wear. The ribbons on the barrette flowed down her back along with her hair. She smiled at herself in the mirror. Ten Ten was right; she did have a cute face….err….when her hair was down. She shook the thought out of her head, grabbed her book bag and her blazer and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.

She moved in only two days ago. She was lucky to afford a small independent apartment that was only a 15 minute walk from the school. Her parents wanted her to stay in the safety of their small, crowded condo in the outskirts of the city. But that was an hour train ride, plus she would still have to walk 30 minutes. Besides! This place was both convenient and cozy! And it got her away from her marriage-crazy parents.

She looked around at her apartment. It was small, yes, more like a loft than an apartment. A one bedroom apartment with its own bathroom, it had a kitchen nook with a pull out table for breakfast, a living/dining room area and washroom. She'd have to do her laundry at the laundry matt across the street. Which she didn't mind at all. This was her home. She liked it. Simple and small, much like her.

Sakura finished her toast with butter and strawberry jam, ate a banana and downed a glass of skim milk. Then she packed a homemade bento lunch, put on her shiny black school shoes, and headed out the door.

She was about halfway to school. _"Oh my gosh! I forgot my glasses!"_ She turned and ran back to her apartment. She checked her pink wristwatch. 7:50 am. She'll be late for school! She burst into her apartment ran into her room and grabbed her glasses off her dresser. Then she ran back out the door. _"Shit! Lock!"_ She turned around again and locked her door. Turning around once more, she made a mad dash to school.

--

The classroom was filled with chatter. They were still talking about the mystery girl from the club.

"I heard she was so gorgeous that the famous 4 wanted to make a move on her!" One girl said.

"Really!" the other girls chimed half nervous, half jealous.

"YEAH!"

"I heard that Uchiha Sasuke went to make a move on her!" Another said.

"WHAT!" Ino screamed.

Sasuke tensed. He heard every word going on in that conversation. He sighed and looked out the window.

"Yeah! And she turned him down!"

Sasuke winced. _"She didn't turn me down… she said 'another time' that's a reign check not a rejection!"_ Sasuke yelled in his head.

"Anyway, a lot of people think that this mystery girl is Haruno Sakura! The new junior."

"THAT UGLY FOREHEAD GIRL!" Ino screamed angrily. " NO WAY! Have you SEEN her! THOSE GLASSES ARE HIDEOUS!"

"I head that she doesn't wear them all the time." A girl said shyly. "I head her talking with Hyuuga-chan from class 3-B yesterday at lunch."

Ino made another face of disapproval. "But they say that she has a gorgeous body! And forehead girl does NOT have a figure at all!" The other girls nodded their head in agreement. They didn't want the famous 4 swooning over a girl that wasn't worth it.

"It could just be the uniform…" one said shyly. The other girls glared at her.

They continued bickering about the whole situation. And hating on Sakura. Naruto yawned sleepily. Shikamaru's eye were shut, he already looked like he was asleep.

"Why is Kakashi-sensei ALWAYS fucking late?" Naruto scoffed annoyed.

"Shut up dobe." Sasuke said to him. _"Sakura is the girl from the club…I'm sure of it. Those eyes. They're hers…. Definitely… those are her eyes."_ He was thinking about it. It was 8:10am. School started 10 minutes ago. Sakura wasn't there yet. He wondered what happened to her.

"Don't call me that!" Naruto screamed at him. He eyed the empty seat between him and Sasuke. "Neh, Haruno-san isn't here either."

"Hn…" Sasuke replied raising an eyebrow. _"Idiot just noticed that now?"_

The classroom door slid open, everyone scattered to their seats thinking it was their sensei, instead, a panting Sakura walked in the class. She closed the door and looked around. _"Great… Sensei isn't even here yet. I shouldn't have run here." _Everyone seemed to freeze. Their head turned to her. They stared at Sakura as if it was the first time she walked through that door. Jaws dropped, even Sasuke's, but not as much as the other people around him. His lips just parted.

_"Why are they staring at me like that?"_ Sakura though slightly scared, but more creeped out. For one thing, she hadn't put on her glasses. Instead she was gripping her new frames in her hand. Her hair was down, flowing to her hips. Bangs clipped to the side, giving full view to her oval face. She blinked. Long lashes drew attention to her big beautiful emerald eyes. Her thin perfectly shaped brows an accenting line from above. She had a small petit nose and smooth cheeks. She had full cherry lips. She bit the bottom one nervously. The guys in the class eyes her body. She had curves, they were not as visible because her shirt was tucked in and gave her an extra form. But they were there, and from what they could see, she had a petite frame, nice chest, a good shoulder line, and a tall torso. Their eyes wandered lower. A pair of long slender ivory legs extended from beneath her shortened kilt.

Sakura was frozen on the spot, scared that she would be killed if she made any sudden movements. _"What's wrong with everyone today?"_ She wondered. She slowly lifted her hand and placed her glasses on her face. Everyone watched her. Then she pulled her blazer on and started to walk to her seat. Eyes followed her. Dead silence. _"Okay this is really really really scary… STOP LOOKING AT ME!"_ She screamed in her head as she sat down in her seat next to Sasuke, eying everyone. She bit her lower lip again and her hands clasped together in her lap. She felt like people were leaning in to get a closer look. She couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" She asked.

"KAWAII!" A guy yelled. Followed by whistles and cheers.

Sakura sunk into her chair as the boys in her class ran up to her. Except for Naruto and Shikamaru who were lost in their own thoughts about her and Sasuke who, duh, sits beside her.

"Haruno-san! Go out with me!"

"No Haruno-san, go out with me!"

"What are you talking about? Haruno-san is going out with me! Right Haruno-san?"

"Haruno-san!"

Sakura shook her head. Scared to death. _"I hate this!"_

"Haruno-san!"

"Haruno-san!"

"Haruno-san!"

Her head was spinning she didn't know what to do. The girls in the class were glaring and whispering

"SHUT UP!"

Eyes widened. Sasuke glared at all the guys swarming around Sakura's desk. They backed off and sat back down in their seats. Sakura sighed relieved. She turned to Sasuke and smiled.

"Thanks."

He looked into her eyes.

"You're annoying." He said coldly.

Sakura wrinkled her nose. "Humph." She turned her head and faced the front of the class. Her brows furrowed. _"How rude! I was just saying 'Thanks'…JERK!" _

Sasuke smirked. "You look nice today." He said out of nowhere. Sakura tensed. "I told you, you could look good."

"It's not because of you!" She snapped back at him.

"Hn." He grinned. "Whatever you say." And he turned back to looking out the window.

Half an hour later, Kakashi showed up.

"Rise, bow, give respect!" The class representative called.

"OHAYO! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" They chimed.

"Sorry I'm late….you see, there was this puppy in my driveway and I couldn't run it over. So I---" Kakashi said rubbing the back of his head.

"LIAR!" Naruto yelled.

And the day began.


	3. Miss popular

**Lady Rine Says: **sry for the slooooooooooooow update...but now here you go! (nerdddy smilez)**

* * *

**

Chapter 3: **Miss popular **

"Sakura… this is a little creepy…" Ten Ten said. The three of them were walking down the hallway on their way to the cafeteria. Sakura was holding her bento lunch which was wrapped in a patterned cloth. It had cherries on it. She gripped the cloth tighter with every step.

"I know…" She hung her head. And sighed.

The hallway walls were coated with boys. All of them staring at Sakura with wide eyes and dangling jaws. She could have sworn some of them had hearts flying out of them.

"I hate this…" Sakura sighed, trying to hide her face.

"I don't think hiding your face will get you away…you _DO_ realize you're the _ONLY_ girl in school with _PINK_ hair right?" Ten Ten said trying to sound reassuring and failing miserably. Actually she found all of this quite amusing.

"A-ano… S-Sakura-chan?"

"Yes Hinata-chan?"

"A-ano… T-Ten Ten-chan i-is coming o-over after school… w-would you l-like to c-come too?" The shy girl asked.

"I'd love too!" Sakura smiled brightly at her new friend. Which earned several _ooh_'s and _ahh_'s from the male crowed. "None of these guys will be there right?" Sakura asked in a lowly whispering voice.

Hinata giggled and shook her head. "N-no."

"Great!" Sakura chimed happily.

"Alright! We'll all meet in front of the school gates after school okay?" Ten Ten said. Smoothing out her white pleated-all-over kilt (A/N: it's white because she's a senior; everything else is basically the same. Except female seniors only have to wear a polo and a tie instead of the blazers and barrettes that Sakura and Hinata have to wear, I've already explained the guys' attire in the previous chapters).

"Okay!" The two girls agreed.

"Good, now let's get some food, I'm hungry!" Ten Ten raised her hand in the air as the three of them pushed open the doors to the cafeteria.

The sight before them was totally unexpected. Heads turned, eyes widened and jaws dropped. Sakura cringed.

"Oh no…" She bit her lower lip, horrified. "RUN!" She screamed to the other two girls.

"WHAT?" Ten Ten was so confused.

Sakura turned and ran back in the direction where she had come.

"S-Sakura-chan!" Hinata called after her.

"RUN YOU GUYS!" Sakura screamed back at them.

The two girls looked at each other in confusion. A noise like thunder erupted from behind.

"Do you hear something?" Ten Ten asked Hinata, who nodded her head. They looked behind them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" They screamed and followed Sakura's lead. They dashed down the hallway.

--

"HARUNO-SAN!" A rather large crowd of overly happy hormone-full teenage boys ran after them.

Hinata and Ten Ten had caught up to Sakura and were running behind her.

"SAKURA! WHAT THE HELL! WHY ARE THEY CHASING YOU!" Ten Ten yelled at her pink haired friend. All she could see was Sakura's pink hair swaying behind her.

"WHHHHHHAA! I DON'T KNOW!" Sakura cried trying to run faster.

"AHH!" Hinata cried. "C-CLOSER!"

Ten Ten looked back at the boys.

"HARUNO-SAN!" They all screamed out.

She screamed. "WHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA! SAKURA! RUN FASTER!"

"I'M TRYING!"

The three girls ran through the hallways, through corridors, passed the library, down the east wing, down 3 flights of stairs, through the gym, down the main hall, out the main doors, through the courtyard and stopped in the school's back yard. Sakura fell to her knees out of breath. Hinata practically collapsed on a bench. Ten Ten was leaning against a tree for support.

"W-We…_ huff..._lost them…" Hinata said.

The other two girls nodded.

"I…_huff_…so…_ huff…_blame…_ huff_…you…_ huff…_TEN TEN!" Sakura cried lying down on her back.

"ME! _Huff… _WHY ME!"

"Because…_ huff…_you're the one who told me…_ huff…_ NOT TO HIDE MY FACE!"

"Since when do you listen to me?" Ten Ten laughed. "But I have to say…I told you so!" She stuck her tongue at Sakura.

Hinata's stomach growled. Pause. The three of them burst into laughter.

"That's right… we didn't get any lunch." Ten Ten frowned.

"That's okay." Sakura untied the cherry patterned cloth and laid it on the grass. She unpacked her bento and handed the two girls a pair of chopsticks. "I made extra." She smiled.

"S-Sakura-chan is t-the best." Hinata cried smiling and giving Sakura a hug. The three of them giggled a bit then said their thanks and dug into Sakura's homemade food.

"Neh, they're not going to find us right?" Sakura asked. Before stuffing some teriyaki in her mouth.

Hinata shook her head. "N-no."

"No one really comes back here. Many people don't know there's even a back courtyard in this school." Ten Ten said grabbing a rice ball.

"Good!" Sakura smiled.

The three of them talked more about what Sakura was like. Then about what Hinata was like. And then finally about Ten Ten. After pretty much discovering each other's personality, and stuffing themselves full on Sakura's cooking, they all lay down on their backs gazing up at the sky. They lay sort of in a triangle, their heads meeting at the centre. Since they've pretty much gone through each other… they started talking about other people in the school.

"What about that Ino girl?" Sakura asked. "I don't think she likes me very much." Sakura frowned. Back home she was friends with everyone.

"Oh don't mind her… she's got only one thing on her mind." Ten Ten replied.

"What's that?"

"Y-you don't know?" Hinata asked.

Sakura shook her head.

"Uchiha Sasuke." They both replied at the same time.

"WHAT! THAT JERK!" Sakura was shocked.

"You know him?" Ten Ten asked.

"I sit next to him in class."

"WHAT!" The two girls were shocked.

"That's why she hates you then." The brunette replied with a mischievous smile.

"That's not fair! She doesn't even know me! That's like hating me fore living." Sakura frowned once more.

"She probably _does_ hate you for living. Because you sit next to the leader of the famous 4."

"The famous 4?" Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"H-hai… t-the famous 4 r-run things a-around h-here…" Hinata replied.

"Yup! Hinata's cousin is the second in command. Hyuuga Neji." Ten Ten blushed slightly. Hinata didn't notice, but Sakura sure did.

"I see…"

"No body messes with them. And they're the most popular boys in school. Not to mention the best looking." Ten Ten seemed confident in what she knew, so of course Sakura took her word for it.

"That reminds me…Neji-kun, he asked about you today." Ten Ten said. A hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Me? Why I haven't even met him."

"He asked me who I was with that night at the club. And when I said your name he looked at me like I was crazy or something…" She sighed.

"T-that's strange. N-Neji-nii-san doesn't t-talk to anyone b-but N-Naruto-kun," She blushed. "Sasuke-san a-and Shikamaru-san." Hinata said.

"That's what I was thinking." Ten Ten replied.

"This place is so weird!" Sakura sighed.

--

"So I was right." Neji said. As usual they were on the roof top of the 4 story building and assuming their normal stances. Naruto chomping on his food, Shikamaru cloud watching, Sasuke leaning over the railing and Neji against the wall.

Naruto nodded. "You should have seen her! It was like a huge transformation. I wonder why she tired to hide herself the first day." He was thinking about her. "Sakura-chan is really cute."

Neji turned to Sasuke. "And you sit beside her too…" He smirked at the raven haired boy.

"What are you implying?" Sasuke replied slightly annoyed.

"Nothing…" Neji said still smirking.

"So bastard, what are you going to do now?" Naruto looked over the edge of the roof at the front courtyard. "Looks like every guy in school wants to go out with her." He grinned.

"…" Sasuke didn't answer he was looking at the three girls below him in the school's backyard.

_Yawn_. Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at him. "That Yamanaka woman is probably raging with jealousy." He laughed. "She might do something." He watched Sasuke as he turned and faced them. His eyes were cold and face unmoved.

"Haruno-san could get hurt?" Neji sounded uncertain. After all, she was friends with his cousin, and although he hated his uncle with a strong burning passion, Hinata was still blood, and Sakura was one of Hinata's friends. He didn't want Hinata to be upset, she was a fragile girl.

"Do you really think Ino would go that far?" Naruto asked in-between slurps.

"That woman is crazy, you never know." Shikamaru scoffed lying back down.

Sasuke smirked, and the 3 of them eyed him uneasily.

"What are you thinking bastard?" Naruto asked.

"Heh… She owes me a dance." Sasuke replied and went back to watching the three girls who were getting up and making their way inside for afternoon classes.

The three guys looked at him with questioning looks.

"He's snapped." Naruto joked. Sasuke twitched and threw a rock at his head. Shikamaru laughed at the sight.

--

Back in the class room as usual the three younger members of the famous 4 walked into class and, as usual, were greeted by their screaming fan girls. And as usual… they brushed them off and took their seats in the centre of the class. But today was different. As soon as the three of them sat down, the boys in the class rushed to the door.

"Is she coming?"

"Can you see her?"

"You're head is in the way!"

"Move I can't see!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at the strange behavior of his peers.

"Are they talking about Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Probably." Shikamaru closed is eyes and crossed his arms, falling asleep. "Wake me up when our troublesome teacher shows up."

Sasuke diverted his gaze out the window. He wasn't sure why it bothered him that Sakura received so much attention from the male student body. It bothered him when girls paid attention to him, he hated it. But to care when someone else got just as much attention as he did, he didn't know what this feeling was. Jealousy? NO WAY. Uchiha Sasuke doesn't get jealous.

Right?

"She's coming!"

Cue squealing fan boys.

"Kawaii!"

They backed away from the door as it slid open.

"HARUNO-SAN!" They exploded on her.

"AHHHH!" Sakura shrieked and jumped in fear, her brand new smaller thin frames for glasses falling off her face."No, my glasses!" She frowned as they hit the floor and cracked. She sighed and picked it up.

"Haruno-san!" They cried again.

_"GAH! STUPID FUCKING ANNOYING GUYS!"_ She faced them, her joyful emerald eyes stiffening, icing over in an angry glare. The crowd of boys silenced. Sakura clenched her fist tightly. They were shaking in rage.

"G-gomen…" A boy stammered out. Bowing to her. The other boys followed his lead and they all bowed to her.

"Gomen Haruno-san." They chimed all together.

Sighing Sakura decided to let it go. Holding grudges would just make things worse after all.

"It's okay…" She said in a small gentle voice. Her eyes growing soft once more. She tucked a loose strand of pale pink hair behind her right ear. "Forget about it." She said forcing a shy smile. They knew she was upset. None of them wanted to push it.

The boys opened up enough to let her through; she passed them gripping her new, now broken glasses. _"I can't afford to get these fixed again."_ She sighed again and sat down in her chair. Her jade eyes now officially open for viewing. Sakura wrapped her glasses in a small cleaning cloth and put in its case and then into her book bag.

Sasuke eyed her and whispered in a low voice so only she could hear. His hands were once again clasped in front of his face, elbows propped on his desk, hiding his lips.

"Were those new?"

Sakura merely nodded her head.

"They're really broken?"

Again she nodded her head.

He noted her silence and drooping posture. To be honest he didn't feel comfortable with her pouting like that. He found her angry cute face much more appealing. He shook the thought out of his head.

"Hey dobe." Sasuke got up and walked over to Naruto and Shikamaru. They talked for a little bit, in low voices.

_"They're so secretive… those two must be one of the famous 4 too…"_ Sakura thought remembering Hinata and Ten Ten's words. She shrugged it off when Kakashi popped in.

--

"Okay, so Tsunande says we should teach something about media. Since you 'young people' are so into TV and stuff." Kakashi said half focused… he seemed to be reading a small book. Sakura couldn't tell what it was because his palm covered the title.

"So, you guys get to do a project. Isn't it wonderful?" He said sarcastically. The class groaned.

"Anyway, you'll be in groups of 4, and you have to create a music video."

The class erupted into excited whispers.

_"That isn't so lame after all…"_ Sakura thought shrugging.

"When you guys decide your groups, come see me for your topic."

Again more whispers.

"You may select your groups now." Kakashi said. Almost immediately people started moving around and the noise of overly excited teenagers filled every corner of the room.

Sakura was slightly alarmed, her old school had always been quiet and the teacher would scold anyone for the slightest noise. Kakashi-sensei was just sitting there reading his book. She sighed. _"A group? Of four? I don't know anyone in this class!"_ Sakura suddenly felt small, weak, and very vulnerable.

"Sasuke-bastard, same old thing?" Naruto called.

"Aa…" Sasuke nodded.

"We need 4 members though." Shikamaru said rubbing his ears. "Naruto you idiot you're so fucking loud! Shit."

"Sou des…" Naruto pondered for a moment and looked around the room. He didn't want to ask any of the males because…well, he didn't like any of them. Neither did Sasuke or Shikamaru. He looked over at the group of girls around Ino's desk. Sasuke and Shikamaru would kill him if he asked one of them. Naruto sighed and looked around some more. A flash of pink in the corner of his eye caught his attention. "NEH SAKURA-CHAN?"

He was so loud that the entire class stopped and looked over at the four of them. Lucky them they sit right in the middle of the class.

"H-hai?" Sakura stumbled she was in her own world when she heard her name. Her head perked up and she looked at the boy who called her name.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" He said grinning. He pointed to Shikamaru who was nearly dozing off beside him. "This lazy ass is Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru opened one eye and looked at her. Naruto then pointed to Sasuke. "You already know Sasuke-bastard."

"Uhh…hai?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. _"Great….another captain obvious."_

"Neh, we need a fourth member… wanna be in our group?" Naruto asked flashing his famous foxy grin with a thumbs up.

"Umm…" Sakura looked at Shikamaru.

He peered back at her with his one open eye. He gave her a once over look then shut his eye again. "I'm cool with it." He said.

Sakura turned and looked at her seatmate who was already looking at her with those deep dark enticing onyx eyes. He nodded. "I don't mind her."

"GREAT! THEN IT'S SETTLED!" Naruto beamed with excitement.

Sakura looked at him and couldn't help but giggle slightly. He was a bumbling idiot. And a loud mouth, but he was friendly. She liked that. She smiled at her group mates.

"For the record, I am NOT doing the entire write up AGAIN." Shikamaru said eyeing Naruto. He grinned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh, like the dobe can write." Sasuke scoffed.

"WHAT WAS THAT BASTARD!" Naruto yelled pointing at him.

Sasuke merely glared at him.

Sakura looked at Shikamaru. "Are they always like this?" She asked. The lazy genius sighed and nodded his head. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Great…" She said sarcastically.

"Naruto don't yell. We can ALL hear you perfectly clear." Kakashi said surprisingly closing his book. "It looks like you have your group. Come here and I'll give you your topic." He waved the four of them over. They got up and walked over. The class went back to their own affairs. The girls giving Sakura dirty looks. Sakura frowned feeling their looks on her. Sasuke noticed her discomfort.

"Here." Kakashi reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a box with a hole cut in the top. "One of you, reach in and pull out a piece of paper."

Naruto looked at Shikamaru who shrugged and reached in. His hand shuffled around a bit and he pulled out a small piece of paper. He unfolded it. His eyes widened slightly reading its contents. Two words were on it.

"Shit, this is too troublesome." He handed it to Sakura who read it out loud.

"Girl Talk." She blinked.

"NANI!" Sakura and Naruto cried at the same time. Sasuke tensed.

"But Sakura's the only girl in our group. I'm **not** dressing up as a girl." Sasuke said in a stern voice glaring at his teacher.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, you may get help from other girls." The girls in the class cheered. "Who are not in this class." He finished with a triumphant smile.

The girls sighed in sheer disappointment.

The four of them thought for a moment.

Then Sakura smiled confidently. "I have an idea who we can ask."

The three boys nodded, thinking it was best for Sakura to do the asking.

* * *

Thnkas for the reviwes ppl. I lovers that you like this fic... it gets MUCH more interesting.

(evil laugh)

until next time.

(heart) always

Lady Rine.


	4. Evil headaches

**Sorry for the long wait. I was err...busy this week and didn't get to work on it : P! (sigh) lame excuse.**

**ANYWAY!**

**here you go!**

**ENJOY!**

**(heart) always**

**Lady rine****

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Chapter 4: Evil headaches **

"WHAT!" Ten Ten screamed. Classes were over for the week, because it was Friday. The three of them, as agreed, met at the school gates. "A MUSIC VIDEO!" She didn't like the idea at all.

"PLEASE!" Sakura pleaded. She clapped her hands together in a prayer stance and held it up in front of her two best friends; she closed her eyes and bowed. "PLEASE!" She glanced up at them with shiny watery emerald eyes. Apparently the music video was worth 40 of her final mark in Social Studies, and Haruno Sakura NEVER fails.

Ten Ten sighed and smacked her forehead with her palm. Hinata smiled at her friend. "Sure Sakura-chan. I-I'll help." She said cheerfully.

Sakura glowed with happiness and flashed Hinata one of her brilliant smiles. Then turned to Ten Ten and gave her a puppy look.

Ten Ten sighed once more rolling her eyes. "Fine…"

"YAY!" Sakura jumped for joy and hugged her two best friends. "THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!" She pulled away her brilliant smiled dominating her face.

"I guess it's the least I can do." Ten Ten said giggling a bit.

"Yeah for dressing me up and dragging me to that club my **first **night here!" Sakura scoffed. "I say you owe me." She concluded with a wink.

"Well we're even after this!" Ten Ten said sticking her tongue out at her. The three of them giggled.

"A-ano? W-what is the video about?" Hinata asked the pastel haired girl.

"Umm. 'Girl Talk'"

"Girl Talk?" The two girls stared at Sakura like she was a idiot.

"Yeah, that's what Shikamaru-san said. And that's what the paper said. I know, I didn't get it either. Kakashi-sensei surely is a weird teacher." Sakura said raising an eyebrow. "He's always reading that weird book."

Hinata and Ten Ten shivered in disgust.

"So what do you plan on doing?" Ten Ten asked, leaning on the school's gate.

Sakura shrugged. "Shikamaru-san was appointed director, so it's up to him. Naruto wanted to do it," Hinata blushed. "But then Sasuke-kun hit him." She shrugged again. "This is really a weird school."

Ten Ten laughed. "Welcome to Konoha Private School" She stuck out her tongue. "Home to the richest, snobbiest and weirdest bunch of teens you'll ever meet."

Sakura and Hinata laughed at their friend's comment.

--

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Neji-san!"

"Shika-kun!"

"Naruto-kun!"

Hurrah for screaming fan girls. (s-drop)

"Is it just me or do they get louder on Fridays?" Shikamaru asked covering his ears. Sasuke and Neji were already twitching in annoyance. They have been since they left their classrooms. Naruto just rubbed the back of his head and flashed a foxy grin at the girls. Who squealed in delight.

"Don't encourage them you moron." Neji smacked Naruto on the back of his head.

"ITAI!" Naruto yelped. Rubbing his head. "Why do you guys always hit me on the head?"

"HA! Maybe that's why you're so stupid. Too much brain damage." Shikamaru laughed.

"THAT'S YOUR FAULT! YOU'RE ALWAYS HITTING ME!" Naruto pointed his finger at Shikamaru.

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE ALWAYS SO FREAKKEN TROUBLESOME!" He fought back.

"Quit it." Neji said his brow twitching.

They stopped their little quarrel and exited the school. Naruto stretched his arms out over his head and gave out his famous chuckled. "Neh, it's so nice out today. I say we go somewhere."

"Does this include any ramen by any chance?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde loud mouth.

"Ramen is always good!" He replied smiling. "How about the mall?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "I'm bored of the mall."

"You're bored of everything." Naruto snapped back. "What about the arcade?"

"We've aced every game there." Neji replied coolly.

"That's true…" The blonde pondered for a moment, and then an idea hit him. "Let's crash someone's house then."

"Not mine, we went to my house last time and the dobe broke a lamp." Sasuke said glaring at Naruto. Who laughed nervously.

"I apologized for that already." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"We can go to my house, I'm sure Uncle won't mind, not that he's home anyway. Hannabi-chan is away at boarding school, and I'm sure Hinata-san won't mind." Neji said knowing that the blonde's penthouse condo was a huge mess and Shikamaru's house was being painted.

"Why not?" Shikamaru shrugged.

"Okay." Naruto smiled.

Sasuke just nodded.

The four of them made their way to the gate. Naruto walked ahead of them as usual with his happy-go-lucky attitude. Pink suddenly came into his view.

"Neh, its Sakura-chan!" Naruto pointed out. "SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto called out. The girl whipped around gracefully, which seemed like slow motion to the guys. Her cherry lips parted slightly, emerald eyes shinning in the sunlight and long pastel locks flowing behind her. She was definitely model material from the looks of it.

"Eh? Naruto." She smiled slowly and waved. "Hello." Behind her the young Hyuuga blushed and fiddled with her fingers.

Naruto ran up to her, followed by the rest of the famous 4. Shikamaru had a sincere grin on his face. Sasuke's was emotionless as always. And Neji had some sort of 'know-it-all' aura around him.

Ten Ten flushed lightly at the sight of the Hyuuga boy. Who Sakura concluded was Hinata's cousin. _"No really? Because you know, they look nothing alike!"_ Sakura thought sarcastically spotting Neji's white eyes. _"Great aren't I just a fucking genius?"_ She sighed inwardly, _"I really have to work on my self-confidence…."_

"So Sakura-chan, what are you going to do today?" Naruto asked in a friendly tone.

"Umm, well, we were just about to head over to Hinata-chan's house." Sakura answered sweetly. Naruto looked over her shoulder at the blushing white eyed girl. She turned even redder as her gaze met his for a mere second.

"Hontoni? We were headed over to Neji's place too." He said flashing his famous foxy grin.

The cousins glanced at each other. This was unexpected. Neither one has ever invited their friends over at the same time. Hinata blinked.

"G-gomen… N-Neji-nii-san. I-I didn't k-know t-that y-you were, b-bringing, y-your f-friends o-over." Hinata said stuttering more than usual. This didn't go unnoticed by her friends.

"…" Neji glanced at Sakura, then over at Ten Ten. He paused looking into the weapon master's brown eyes. _"Why am I looking at her?"_ He thought. After a few more seconds, (it felt like forever to Ten Ten), Neji shook the thought out of his head and looked back at his cousin giving her a nod. "It's okay." He said with no trance of emotion in his voice. He crossed his arms across his chest, his eyes now closed.

"Let's walk together!" Naruto said. "None of us brought a car today." He added in a lower voice frowning slightly.

Sakura couldn't help it. She let out a small subtle giggle. The guys looked at her. She was quiet in class and didn't talk to anyone unless she had to. Indeed Sakura was different when she was around people she was close too like the two girls at her sides, who just smiled sweetly. The three of them had a sort of softness to their appearance. None of the guys have noticed it before.

"It's okay Naruto, walking isn't so bad." Sakura said with a small smile. Her girlfriends nodded their heads in agreement.

Ten Ten looked at her watch, and then looked up at the two girls. "Neh, are we still going?"

"Hai!" They chimed.

"We'll follow you guys." Shikamaru said. Playing around with the video camcorder Kakashi gave them to use for their project.

The seven of them headed out the school gates. 3 chattering girls walked in front of them, they walked fairly quickly, their pace faster than the lazy and rather bored males following them. The guys decided to keep their distance from the girls. Not too far, 6 feet seemed reasonable. Close enough to keep and eye on them, and far enough so they don't look like they're together.

"So much for walking together." Naruto said, disappointment lingering in his voice. He wanted to get to know the girls better.

"Let them talk, they're more comfortable around each other than with us." Neji said slightly eyeing the brunette from afar.

"I got this working." Shikamaru said. He had been fidgeting around with the camcorder the entire time and finally figured out what all of the buttons did. "Would have been much easier if Kakashi-sensei didn't loose the manual." He said frowning. He turned it on and pointed it at the 3 girls in front of them. "Hey it works pretty well." He said flipping the side screen open and watching them from that.

"Neh! It's got a pretty sharp image." Naruto said joining Shikamaru. "Zoom in."

Shikamaru pressed the zoom button and it focused on Sakura who was walking in between the other girls. She was smiling, and laughing. They could see her lips move as she spoke to Ten Ten. She laughed again and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Gah, too close." Shikamaru zoomed out a bit and caught the three of them, from their elbows up. Hinata and Sakura were looking at Ten Ten whose lips were moving, speaking. The three of them started laughing again. Hinata's lips moved, and she blushed. Sakura's head turned to her, she and Ten Ten looked like they were in shock. Their eyes were wide and they were blinking repeatedly. Hinata's lips moved again. Then she started laughing. The other two girls were slightly in shock, and then laughed with her.

"I wonder what they're talking about." Naruto said watching the girls on the camcorder's video screen.

Shikamaru grinned, an idea popping into his mind for their assignment. "Naruto keep taping them." He said handing him the camera.

"Eh?" Naruto was confused. Sasuke looked at them with a questioning glance.

"What are you thinking?" He asked raising a brow.

"Heh, something that will get us the highest mark in that class. God knows he needs it." Shikamaru said smirking gesturing towards Naruto with his thumb.

"I heard that." Naruto growled. "Hey they stopped at the lemonade stand." Naruto Said zooming in on them.

--

"I'll have lemon lime mix lemonade." Ten Ten said.

"O-original for me please." Hinata smiled digging in her book bag for money.

"I'll try the cherry mix." Sakura said counting the small change of yen in her hand.

The girls placed their money on the counter and received their lemonade.

"THANK YOU!" They chimed all at once and waved goodbye to the stand owner who smiled and waved back.

"Any time girls!" He called after them.

The three of them resumed their walk.

"So Sakura," Ten Ten started "How was the second day of school?"

"Creepy." Sakura replied taking a sip of her lemonade.

Ten Ten laughed at her. "It couldn't have been that bad." She said, trying to make Sakura feel better.

"My glasses broke. How could it have been worse?" Sakura frowned remembering the broken glasses in her book bag.

"The new ones?" Ten Ten asked.

"Yeah…" Sakura's cheery voice faded.

"C-can't you get them fixed?" Hinata asked.

"I can't afford too… I just got them too." Sakura's entire body seemed to droop, her eyes narrowed in sorrow and the corners of her cherry lips seemed to fall heavily. She even paled slightly. Ten Ten and Hinata glanced at each other with worried looks. They thought desperately how to get her mind off it. They were both aware of Sakura's financial situation. Her parents owned a small restaurant back home. But Sakura had grown up in an extremely small town, and small towns only produce so much business. It was a miracle on it's own that Sakura had been able to come to Konoha to fend for herself.

"Cheer up Sakura!" Ten Ten said patting her friend on the back. "Maybe we can fix them for you!" She smiled.

"Y-yes. I'm sure they're not that bad." Hinata said smiling too. "M-may we see them?"

Sakura pondered for a moment, and then handed her drink to Hinata while she dug into her bag. She ruffled through her books, wallet and pencil case. Her eyes widened. They were gone!

"They're gone!" Sakura said with a frown.

"They can't be gone. Maybe you're not looking close enough." Ten Ten said taking a look into her bag. The two of them rummaged through Sakura's book bag once more. Notebooks, texts, an agenda, her wallet, a pencil case… no glasses.

"They are gone…" Sakura sighed. She felt even worse now. Her glasses were her mask. She didn't have horrible eyesight, and actually her optometrist said she didn't really need them. But she _did_ need them. They hid her face. Sakura was so used to hiding behind her glasses. She felt naked without them, bare and vulnerable. She didn't like it one bit.

--

Sakura sat in the grand living room of the Hyuuga manor. _"This place is huge!" _Sakura looked around. Her feet hurt slightly from the tour of the place. 26 rooms on 4 floors, why would you need that much? There was a tennis court, basketball court and a pool out back. The front had a huge iron gate and a long road leading up to the house. The main hall looked like a ballroom, a grand staircase that lead up to the first floor and a crystal chandelier overhead. Of course the Hyuuga's actual ballroom was much bigger. Sakura was shocked that there would even BE a ballroom in a house. With marble floors, mirrored walls and a walk out patio to the garden, the ballroom was breath taking. The dinning hall looked like a room from Buckingham Palace. Marble dinning table that could probably seat up to 38 people sat in the centre of the hall. There was a mantle on the far side with an urn sitting in the middle. Sakura had learned that it was Neji's father's remains. Turns out that Hinata's and Neji's fathers were twins.

Yes the place was huge. It had one massive game room with billiards and two TVs (one was for movies, the other was for videogames). There was a dart board at one end and a foosball table on the other. The room next to it was a library, and the room next to that was Hinata's father's study. Sakura hadn't been shown the kitchen, something about the cook not wanting to be disturbed. But that was fine. She could only imagine how marvelous it was, after all, the Hyuuga mansion was marvelous on its own and the kitchen probably was as amazing as the rest of the house.

And now there they were sitting on the leather couch in the living room. She looked around. This room alone was bigger than her apartment! Sakura was dazed.

"Sakura-chan?"

How was it possible that such a house could exist?

"Sakura-chan?"

This place was like a dream!

"Sakura-chan!"

"Eh?" Sakura's head jolted up and she looked at Hinata who had been calling her name for the past 3 minutes.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked, a look of worry bestowed on her face.

"Uh, yeah!" Sakura said with a smile.

"You looked dazed." Ten Ten added, looking up from her now completed homework. The girls were doing their homework in the living room. "Why don't you go splash some water on your face? It might help."

"Yeah…" Sakura nodded and made her way to the washroom, which, thankfully, was only down the hall on the left.

Sakura turned the tap and let the cold water run a little bit. She looked into the mirror. Her head started to throb and she felt her face get warmer. Her cheeks flushed and her eyes became red, wary and tired. _"Not again…"_ She thought quickly splashing cold water on her face. Sakura placed her palm against her forehead. It was still warm. _"Evil headaches!"_ Sakura splashed more water on her face.

Ever since she could remember, she's been getting these headaches. It started when she was young, she got mild migraines. Sometimes they were so bad that her mom made her stay home from school. It seemed to become steady when she started going to school, but after Ten Ten moved away they started to get worse. Once it was so bad she had fainted. She woke up 2 days later. Her mother started to get really worried and took her to the doctor. Whatever was wrong with her it had her mother and father crying. She didn't understand why and her parents refused to tell her. All she knew is that she had to take pills 3 times a day. Sakura did and since she started taking them her headaches have gotten bearable, lately she hadn't been getting them at all. Until today.

_"Shit! I was in such a rush this morning I didn't take my pills!"_ Sakura looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were still red. She felt her forehead again. The throbbing was painful. Beating in her head, it was like someone was trapped in her head and was hitting her skull with a lead bat. _"I hate this!"_

--

"8 ball, corner pocket." Sasuke took his pool stance again. He and Naruto were playing pool, Neji was shooting some darts and Shikamaru was looking over the footage of the girls that was shot on the way here.

Sasuke hit the white ball, it bounced off the side and hit the black 8 ball, the 8 ball rolled slowly towards the corner pocket. Naruto was looking on, praying it wouldn't go it. It stopped at the slit of the pocket's opening.

"YEAH! HA!" Naruto cheered laughing at Sasuke. Then the 8 ball tipped over and fell into the pocket. Naruto frowned. "FUCK!"

"Heh. I win again dobe." Sasuke smirked. He put the pool stick back on its stand and headed out of the game room.

"What! Teme where are you going!" Naruto cried. "Re-match! I will not loose to you!"

"It's none of your business where I'm going, but if you must know I have to take a piss. And you already lost to me… 5 times." Sasuke said rather annoyed and left the game room. He could hear Naruto's muffled voice behind him, then Shikamaru's, and then a 'thud'. He smirked. Shikamaru probably threw something at the blonde for being 'so damn troublesome'.

Sasuke walked down the hall way, passed the living room, he heard the girls' voices, shrugged and continued his walk. He reached the washroom and turned the knob. He frowned. _"Locked."_ Sasuke knocked on the door.

--

Sakura was startled for a second by the knock at the door. How long had she been in here? She felt her forehead again. It wasn't as warm as it was before. She splashed water on her face once more and wiped it with a towel. She looked at herself in the mirror, her face was still slightly red and her eyes looked tired. Nothing she couldn't hide from her friends with a smile. There was another knock at the door.

"Coming!"

--

Sasuke sighed. _"Who the hell is in there?"_ He frowned.

The door opened and Sakura stepped out. She seemed a little surprised that Sasuke was the one standing there. He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Took you long enough."

"Ehh… sorry, you can use it now." She said nervously, quickly turning her head away from him and making her way back down the hall way.

Sasuke raised his brow at her strange behavior. He figured she would have furrowed her brows and say something sarcastic to him. But she didn't. He noted the way she was wobbling slightly, struggling not to show her obvious dizziness. He squinted, looking closer at her slowly retreating body. Her cheeks were slightly red and her eyes dazed.

"Sakura?" He wasn't sure what he was going to say. He wasn't even sure why he called her name. His voice just spoke out on its own.

"Yes?" She answered not turning around.

There was a slight pause.

"Nothing." Sasuke said finally.

Sakura nodded and continued walking. But paused when a familiar throbbing came back to her head. Almost immediately she turned red once more. She grasped her head trying to fight it. But it was no use… everything went black.

Thud.

Sasuke was about to walk into the bathroom when he heard a thud. He turned around to see where it came from. His eyes widened to see a limp body with pink hair lying in the Hyuuga's hallway. He ran over to her and felt her forehead. _"She's burning up."_ He picked her up bridal style and ran to the living room.

--

"S-Sakura-chan is taking quite a while…" Hinata said twiddling with her fingers. "I-I hope she's okay…" Her voice was bouncy with obvious worry.

"Don't worry Hinata, I'm sure Sakura will be- SAKURA!" Ten Ten paled immediately when Sasuke ran into the room with an unconscious Sakura in his arms.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Hinata cried. That alone was enough to attract her over protective cousin from the game room.

"What's going on in here?" Neji said stopping in his tracks when he saw the unconscious girl in the Uchiha's arms.

"Sasuke-san, put her on the couch!" Hinata said taking change of the situation. Ten Ten ran out of the room to get some water and a cloth.

Just then Naruto and Shikamaru walked in. They too were taken back at the sight of and unconscious Sakura who was gently being laid on the couch by their raven haired friend.

"Teme what did you do!" Naruto yelled pointing. Sasuke turned and glared. Shikamaru hit Naruto on the head.

"Hardly the time to joke around dumb ass!"

**-FLASHBACK-**

A small little girl sat crying in her bed. She looked down out her window at the children playing on the street. They had rejected her again. Made fun of her forehead, it made her cry. They hadn't always been like that. But because of her headaches, every time they wanted to play with her, she couldn't. Harsh words echoed in her little mind.

_"FOREHEAD GIRL!" _

_"It's so big!" _

_"No wonder you get headaches! You're forehead is huge!"_

Tears streamed down her face. Her mother walked in. An older version of herself. With short dark pink hair and apple green eyes. She took a seat next to her crying 6-year old daughter.

"Saku-chan, why are you crying?" Her mother asked in a sweet voice.

Sakura was angry. She felt like she meant nothing to anyone.

"Okaa-san, I'm going to be alone right?" She said sternly between sobs. Her mother was taken back.

"Why, Saku-chan. Don't you ever say that!"

"They don't want to play with me! They push me away!" Small and fragile Sakura buried her face into her tiny palms. "I don't want to try anymore! I GIVE UP!" She sobbed.

Sakura's mother smiled weakly and hugged her daughter from behind.

"Sakura… stay strong."

Her words startled the young one. And she gathered the strength to look at her mother. To the little girl's surprise she was crying! The woman who had always kept such a soft yet stern face in any turmoil was crying!

"Eh?" Sakura's cries started to die down.

"Stay strong Sakura. Live your life with no regrets. Do anything you think you can do because you can do it! But never forget, no one can live alone. I don't want to see you cry anymore Saku-chan." Her mother wiped her tears away gently. Her old apple green eyes twinkling in the sunset light from the window. "Tomorrow morning, your life will keep going on, confront it. Live it. Don't let it scare you. There will be ups and downs and times where you'll want to give up. But never give up. Keep trying."

Sakura looked into her mother's eyes; they twinkled with years of wisdom. Her mother continued. "And love Sakura. Give all you can to love. Because when you love, you have nothing to loose, only to gain."

Sakura watched as her mother looked out the window and smiled. She didn't understand what she was saying.

"I don't understand…" The little one said pouting.

Sakura's mother laughed gently. "You will Sakura, you will."

Sakura smiled with her mother.

**-END FLASHBACK-**

Sakura shifted slightly and let out a small moan out of pain. Her brows creased. She heard some voices.

"She's coming too." A male voice said

_"Who's that?"_ Sakura wondered.

"Sakura?" A female voice.

"Sakura-chan?" Another female voice.

Sakura shifted again. An image of her mother flashed in her mind.

"Okaa-san?" Sakura whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Her green eyes fluttering open. Faces peered over her. "What the?" She blinked several times, getting used to the light. "What happened?"

"You fainted." Shikamaru answered bluntly.

"I did?" Sakura sat up slowly looking, studying the faces around her.

The guys nodded.

"SAKURA YOU HAD US WORRIED!" Ten Ten yelled hugging her.

"Are you okay?" Hinata asked joining the hug, her stutter gone.

"Ehh…hai, I'm okay." She pulled away and looked at the worried faces of her two best friends. Their eyes were watery. "Really I'm okay." Sakura smiled.

"Maybe you should go see a doctor." Ten Ten said rubbing her eyes.

"I'm fine, I don't need a doctor." Sakura answered.

"I don't know, you were burning up." Naruto said. "If Sasuke-bastard hadn't been there in the hallway when you fainted, who knows what would have happened."

"I'm fine really… I just get these headaches sometimes." Sakura said not liking all this attention. She was starting to get frustrated.

"If you get them often, you should see a doctor." Neji said in a matter of fact tone.

"I'm Fine." Sakura said firmly. "I already have medication." She said. _"Why the hell did I say that out loud"_ Sakura said. She seemed to be more taken back by that then anyone else in the room.

"Then did you take your medication today?" Sasuke asked coldly.

Sakura paused.

"You didn't" Sasuke answered for her.

Sakura hesitated.

"I was in a rush, and I forgot." Sakura answered finding a new obsession with the floor.

"Sakura, you can't forget things like that!" Ten Ten said. She sounded like her mother.

Sakura smiled at her friend. "Yes mother." She stuck her tongue out. The girls giggled.

* * *

Don't foget to R&R 

thankies!


	5. Director's Cut

**Lady Rine: **OMG! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR SUCH A **LATE **UPDATE!

i've been soooo busy since school started i didn't even notice how long it's been. Anyway, i stayed up late tonight so i can finish this chapter (and start the next one) school is too crazy...and i have 2 jobs and work 6 days a week! (cries) OMFG.

ANYWAY!

i hope you like this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto...as always (cry)

* * *

**Chapter 5: Directors Cut**

"WHAA! WHY DOES SASUKE-TEME GET TO PLAY THAT ROLE!" Naruto wined. The 4 group mates were over at Sasuke's house filming their music video. Shikamaru had decided that their video will feature a girl, played by Sakura of course, who has a neglectful, possessive boyfriend, he picked Sasuke for this role, and goes to her girlfriends for advice.

"Because, you lost at pool yesterday." Shikamaru said with a matter of fact tone _"Actually it's because you'd do something perverted to her."_ The thought alone made him cringe in disgust. "Besides," He continued. "You're taping." He grinned handing Naruto the camera. "Better set up, camera man." Shikamaru pointed to the tripod and the lights behind him.

"Fuck." Naruto swore with a frown. He walked over and started to set up the lights and camera anyway.

Shikamaru laughed making his way down the hall. He knocked on the washroom door.

"Oi. You ready Sakura?" Shikamaru called.

"HAI!" A muffled cry came from inside.

"Okay, we'll meet in the living room." He called to her. Again he heard a muffled acknowledgment from inside.

CRASH!

"DOBE!" Sasuke's angry voice could be heard from the living room.

Shikamaru rushed back. "What the hell was that?" He looked around. His eyes rested on an idiot blonde on the floor tangled in cords, lights, and poles. Shikamaru smacked his forehead and groaned. "This is too troublesome." He sighed.

"Naruto you stupid idiot! You better not break anything in my house…AGAIN!" Sasuke scolded. His arms folding across his chest, glaring daggers at the blonde on the floor.

"Relax! I didn't break anything!" Naruto said grinning and rubbing the back of his head. He tried standing up but ended up falling back down into the pile of camera gear.

"Idiot…" Shikamaru and Sasuke sighed shaking their heads.

"A-ano…" A small vulnerable voice cooed from behind. The boys turned to look. Sakura stood there shyly, she wasn't used to wearing these kinds of things, and she never dressed like this. A short white skirt that was a little tight around her, it made her lower curves stand out wrapping around her hips and thighs. She was wearing a fitted green cami that matched her eyes, showing off her slender shoulders, the cami ended just above her navel exposing some ivory smooth skin. Her hair was half up in a top pony tail, the rest of her rosette tresses trickled down her back and over her shoulders. Sakura blushed lightly embarrassed.

"I don't think I should be wearing this…" Sakura said timidly hugging her bare mid-drift. "I'm not used to it…" She frowned.

Shikamaru smirked. "Heh, I'm a genius." He said proudly.

Naruto had hearts in his eyes. "Sakura-chan. You look hot!" He smiled at her which made her blush even more.

"Umm… thanks…" She stammered. She glanced at Sasuke. He was looking right at her with those onyx eyes of his. So deep. So dark. So mesmerizing. She could have sworn Sasuke has a touch of pink on his cheeks. Was it just the light?

_"Why do you care!"_ She yelled at herself. _"He's a jerk-face remember!"_ Startled by herself, and maybe a little from Sasuke, her gaze jolted to the floor below her.

"Isn't she hot Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked.

He didn't get an answer. Naruto looked up at Sasuke, surprised to see him staring at the pink haired beauty in front of him.

"Sasuke-Teme?"

Again no answer. He was just staring.

"SASUKE!"

"Hn?" Sasuke's body jolted slightly at the sound of his name. Snapping him out of his trance. "What?" He snapped glaring at the blonde. _"He's so annoying, interrupting me when I'm checking out…"_ He stopped himself realizing his train of thought. Sasuke felt his cheeks go warm and suppressed the urge to blush rather successfully. He shrugged it off.

"I said, 'Isn't Sakura-chan hot?'" Naruto repeated raising an eyebrow at the raven haired boy's reaction.

Sasuke hesitated. "She's okay." He finally answered turning his back to them all. "Are we starting or not?" He said coldly, leading the way upstairs to his bedroom.

Sakura sighed. _"Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all…." _She glanced at Sasuke's retreating back. _"What's with him?"_ She swallowed nervously and followed him silently.

The whole interaction and reactions especially between Sasuke and Sakura did not go unnoticed by the lazy brunette genius. Shikamaru smirked to himself. _"Heh, well I'll be damned. Uchiha Sasuke isn't such an ice cube after all."_ He watched the raven haired boy stop up the stairs, his cheeks slightly pink. Shikamaru debated if it was from the sight of the attractive pink haired noob, or from Sasuke's frustration with his own hormones. The thought amused him. He looked at Sakura, timid, shy, silently following Sasuke; her gaze was on the stairs underneath her feet. She looked rather like a shadow following him. And then there was Naruto…

CRASH!

"NARUTO YOU FUCKING MORON!" Shikamaru scolded watching Naruto tumble down the stairs, equipment coming down after him.

--

Sasuke lead his team down a long hallway. Sakura was in awe once again. Sasuke's house was huge! Okay, so it wasn't as big as the Hyuuga's mansion, but Sasuke's home was still gigantic! He hadn't taken her on a tour of his home like Hinata did. She figured it was because he didn't particularly like the idea of their music video being filmed here. Besides, Sasuke wasn't that kind of guy. From the few days she's been her in Konoha, she's concluded that Sasuke well, liked to keep to himself. And he's a jerk. A COLD jerk. _"He's strange…."_ She thought. Her eyes drifted through the hallways. Antique vases, plaques, trophies, the walls were coated with them. There were also a few Japanese characters on the walls, scrolls even a few swords. Sakura guessed that the Uchiha family liked old fashioned stuff. Her jaded eyes wondered around more, they widened when the four of them passed a rather large framed portrait of what she guessed was Sasuke's parents. She couldn't help but glance at it. His mother was beautiful, long black hair, fair skin and a beautiful smile but her eyes showed some sort of sorrow and longing. She sat in a chair. Standing behind her was a rather tall man, his father she guessed, a stern man with cold dark eyes. He looked intimidating. Beside him a standing young man, long hair tied back neatly in a low pony tail. He looked about 15 in the picture. He looked very attractive. He wasn't smiling, more like smirking. The last one in the photo was a boy. Sakura found him adorable. _"Is that Sasuke?"_ He stood at the side of the chair his spiky black hair poking out behind him. He was smiling. He has a brilliant smile. The kind that makes others want to smile too. The kind that brightens up a room.

She would have stayed there longer and gaze upon the family in the picture but a cough brought her back to reality. She turned. Sasuke stood in front of her. Sakura didn't know what to say. She was taken back. So she did the next best thing, she looked down.

"This way…" He said solemnly turning his back and leading her back to where Shikamaru and Naruto were.

--

"And cut! Okay, that's good." Shikamaru said grinning.

Sasuke sighed and slid off of his bed. He would never understand Shikamaru's logic. Filming the video backwards seemed odd to him. The scene they just filmed took place in Sasuke's bedroom. They were having a fight, Sasuke "hit" Sakura's face and she ran out on him. It took them several tries because Naruto always screwed something up. They finally sent him out to get food, which he accepted rather enthusiastically.

"Sakura you can come back in now." Shikamaru called. Sakura poked her head in the door. "We're done." He continued gesturing with his hand, calling her back into the room. She smiled slightly and walked back in the room. Sakura fiddled with her skirt, trying to pull it further down, and it wasn't working. Sasuke glanced at her. She was still fiddling with her skirt. Her long slender legs caught his eye. He tensed slightly and looked away, his face facing the window. _"Stop looking at her, she's annoying."_ He kept telling himself.

Ring. Ring.

Shikamaru sighed and picked up his cell phone. "Yeah?" Sasuke and Sakura looked at the lazy brunette as his face twisted into a frown. "You're too troublesome you know that?" He sighed. "Fine, but you owe me big time." Then Shikamaru hung up the phone. His two group mates looked at him with curiosity. "That was Naruto," He began rubbing his temples. "He ran into some trouble and now he's at the Police station. Stupid moron."

Sakura blinked.

"What did he do?" Sasuke sighed as if it was nothing.

"He couldn't shut his trap when he ran into Kiba at the ramen place." Shikamaru turned and headed for the door. "I have to go bail them both out." He paused and looked at Sakura, "Sorry Sakura, I can't give you a ride home today."

Sakura smiled sweetly. "That's okay Shikamaru-san. I'll just walk home, its fine."

Shikamaru nodded and disappeared from sight.

Sakura sighed. _"Walk home? HA! I live on the other side of Konoha. And I didn't bring any money… jeez, well, better get walking."_ She frowned slightly. Sasuke's cough brought her back from her thoughts.

"Ah, gomen Sasuke-kun, I have to get going now." She said turning back around to face him. Sasuke was still sitting on his bed he looked at her strangely.

"Are you seriously walking home?" He asked her unemotionally. She nodded her head, turned and headed out of his room. "Wait."

Sakura was startled to hear him call her back. _"Maybe he'll drive me home."_ She said she turned and flashed him a grateful smile in return for his kind gesture. _"Maybe he's not such a jerk after all."_ She thought.

"Yes Sasuke-kun?" She asked still smiling.

"I'll show you out." He said pushing himself off the bed. Sakura frowned.

S-Drop. _"So much for that…" _Sakura thought putting on a fake smile and nodding. "Thanks." She said softly slightly disappointed. _"What's wrong with me? Why do I feel sad? It's not like I like him or anything! He's such a jerk!" _

**_"But he's a cute jerk…"_** her inner self argued.

_"Shut up he's a jerk!"_ She concluded.

They found themselves in the hallway towards the main stairs. Sakura once more found herself looking at the family portrait on the wall. _"His smile is so warm…"_ Sakura thought looking at the young boy in the portrait. She smiled slightly.

"Sakura." Sasuke called, he looked back and found her looking at his family portrait on the wall. He felt rage swell up inside of him as he glanced at the mimics of his family members. He hated them, all of them. His rage seemed to soften when he saw her small quaint smile. Sakura seemed to glow with an overwhelming softness that he happily gave into. She was warm, he was cold. The past 4 days of knowing her, he had discovered that she was everything he was not. They were polar opposites. _"Why do I feel like this?" _He wondered. A fluttery feeling started to grow inside of him. He tried to look away from her, but found that he could not.

"Sasuke-kun?" Her voice was mesmerizing. And it pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Let's go." He replied regaining his composure. She merely nodded and followed him down the hall.

_"Was he just staring at me just now?"_ She wondered.

**_"Oooh, maybe he likes you!" _**Sakura' inner self snickered.

_"HECK NO!"_ Sakura fought back refusing to blush. He inner self just laughed at her. _"Stupid mocking inner voice… GO AWAY!"_ Sakura frowned as she followed Sasuke down the main stairs.

Sasuke took a glance at the pink haired noob's reflection as the passed the mirrors in the front hall. A fluttery swelling feeling made it's presence known in his stomach. It was warm, and dare he mentally admit it, so enjoyable that he gave in. It was the same feeling he had gotten when he first laid eyes on her, the same feeling that he got when she received attention from the other boys, the same feeling he felt when he saw her small smile earlier upstairs.

**_"She's cute no?"_** His inner self grinned.

_"What who?"_ Sasuke tensed slightly hearing the voice within his head.

**_"The pink haired girl behind you, what was her name? It was an adorable one…"_**

_"Sakura?"_

**_"That's it… so you think she's hot eh?"_**

_"What the hell? Who the fuck are you?" _

_ **"I'm you dumbass… except I can say things freely…" **_

_"What the hell? You're annoying go away!" _

_ **"Heh,"**_ Sasuke found himself watching Sakura intently as she put on her beaten up runners. **_"Not until I get some of the luscious ass in—" _**

_"FUCK OFF!"_ Sasuke interrupted his inner self's train of thought before he…err…..yeah. Never mind where that's going… Sasuke flushed at his inner self's comment.

It was at the unfortunate moment of Sasuke's blush when Sakura looked up.

"Eh?"

_"Sasuke's cheeks are red… is he okay?" _

_ **"No stupid he's blushing!" **_

_"Why?" _

_ **"Ohhh! Maybe he likes you after all"**_ Sakura could hear the evil snickers of her inner piece of mind.

_"No way!" _

_ **"Why not? You like him…" **_

_"I DO NOT! HE'S SUCH A JERK!"_ Sakura screamed in her head.

**_"Lies…"_**

_ "I'll prove it!"_

"Neh Sasuke-kun, are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"Eh?" Sasuke snapped out of his trance. "Yeah why?"

"Because your cheeks are red."

Sasuke's cheeks turned even redder.

"It's none of your business!" He replied hotly.

Sakura frowned slightly. _"I told you so…"_ She thought to her inner self. She knew he would say something like that, and prepared herself to hear it. But it kind of hurt anyway.

**_"Aww, look you made her sad."_** Sasuke's inner self mocked.

"Shut up!" Sasuke replied out loud.

"I didn't say anything!" Sakura snapped. _"Fucking jerk ass!"_

"No… that's not what…ah, just go." Sasuke said turning his back.

"GLADLY!" Sakura slammed the door behind her. Her fists were shaking she was so mad. _"Stupid bum!"_ She yelled in her head. _"Who the fuck does he think he is! JERK!"_ She continued walking down Sasuke's massive front courtyard and headed to the big Iron Gate. The guards opened it for her.

"Thank you for coming Haruno-san, please visit again soon." One of the guards said to her with a happy smile.

Sakura only nodded and smiled in return.

_"I don't want to come here if that asshole is going to be like THAT!" _Sakura thought and headed down the dirt path into town.

--

Sasuke sighed looking out the window in his living room. He watched Sakura pass the guards and walk down the path to town. He felt guilt and remorse swell up inside of him. He thought about that warm feeling he had gotten earlier when he saw her smile secretly. His thoughts then drifted off to how she played him at the club and how sad she looked when her glasses broke. It never occurred to him how much he had been watching her from afar. The way her eyes lit up when she laughed with Ten Ten and Hinata. The way her eyebrow would twitch every time one of the guys in their class would ask her out. The way her hips move when she walks…. **_"Ohhh… you're thinking about her again."_** He heard his altar ego say.

_"Shut up… go away." _Sasuke said to it unemotionally.

**_"Aww… I can't go away, I'm you!"_**

_"You are not me… for one thing; I'm not as horny as you are." _

His inner mind laughed at him. **_"You are, but won't admit it" _**

Sasuke remained silent, slightly shocked. His inner self laughed again.

Pitter patter, pitter patter… small raindrops started to fall from the already grey sky. It didn't take long for the droplets to become heavy raindrops of a strong rainfall.

**_"Hey it's raining, Sakura is walking home isn't she?" _**

_"Yeah so?"_ Sasuke replied slowly recovering.

**_"How far does she live?"_**

_"I don't know. She should be home by now. She left 15 minutes ago."_ Sasuke looked outside, it's really coming down.

**_"Maybe you should call to make sure." _**

_"Sakura's fine, she can take care of herself…right?" _

**_"I don't know… she did faint once before."_** His inner self reminded him.

Sasuke thought back…

**-FALSHBACK- **

Sasuke was about to walk into the bathroom when he heard a thud. He turned around to see where it came from. His eyes widened to see a limp body with pink hair lying in the Hyuuga's hallway.

_"SAKURA!" _

He ran over to her and felt her forehead.

_"She's burning up."_

He picked her up bridal style and ran to the living room.

_"Hang on!"_

**-END FLASHBACK- **

_"Yeah she did…" _Sasuke was reminded

**_"Come on… call her. You know you want to." _**Sasuke's inner mind mocked in a sing-song-so-not-like-Sasuke voice.

Sasuke's brows twitched in annoyance. He glanced out the window once more. It was really coming down now. It's now been half an hour since Sakura left his house. He glanced at the phone debating weather he should check up on her or not. He didn't even know where she lived…

**_"Maybe you should have drove her home."_** His altar ego argued. **_"At least then we wouldn't be having this argument now wouldn't we?"_**

Sasuke didn't even bother to answer. He should have at leased offered to get her a cab. Sasuke looked at the phone once more.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Sasuke stiffened. He was caught off guard by the ringing phone.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Sasuke picked it up.

"Hello?"

_-"Uchiha?"- _

Sasuke sighed. It was only Neji.

"Yeah?"

­_-"Done with the project?"- _

_­_"Aa."

_-"Okay. By any change is Sakura still there? Hinata is asking."- _

Sasuke could hear two muffled voices in the background. Both of which were females.

­_­-"Ten Ten is asking too."-_

Neji continued.

"No. She left about 45 minutes ago…" Sasuke paused. "Why?" He wasn't sure why he asked 'Why' it wasn't like him. Usually he would say 'No' and if that was all he'd hang up.

Sasuke heard voices in the background once more. Then a female voice came on the line. It wasn't shy and timid, Sasuke concluded that it was Ten Ten and not Hinata.

_-"Sasuke!"- _

"What?"

_-"Where is Sakura-chan!"- _

She sounded worried.

"She's not here! I already told Neji that she left 45 minutes ago! Call her at home!" Sasuke replied annoyed.

_-"She's not picking up!"- _

"Ever heard of a cell phone?" Sasuke snapped.

_-"SHE DOESN'T HAVE ONE!"-_ Ten ten yelled back.

There was a ruffling noise and Hinat's voice come onto the line.

_-"A-ano, Sasuke-ssan? Please, we're really w-worried about Sakura-chan. W-we can't find her."-_ Sasuke could tell Hinata was close to tears, she sniffled in between parts of her sentence. He could only imagine how pissed off Neji was. He may not particularly like his cousins and uncle, be he was really protective of Hinata. The last guy who made Hinata cry ended up in the hospital for a week or two.

Sasuke sighed. "Fine. What do you want me to do? I don't even know where she lives."

_­_Neji gained control of the phone once more. _–"The girls say she lives in Konoha Gardens, you know, the small cramped apartments on the other side of town?"- _

_"Holy fuck that's far! Is she out of her mind! Walking there in this kind of weather!" _Sasuke cursed in his mind.

**_"Well SOMEONE didn't offer her a ride."_** His inner self scolded.

"Fuck" Sasuke's fists clenched.

_-" Apartment 143"- _Neji said. _–"Nice number."-_

"Not funny…" Sasuke replied practically glaring at the phone's receiver.

_-"Sasuke! If she's not answering there's a spare key in a small compartment at the base of the door frame on the right side!"-_ Ten Ten yelled taking the phone once more.

_-"Please hurry!"-_ Hinata cried into the phone. Then the line went dead.

Sasuke put the phone down on its base. Thoughts kept running through his head.

_ "Sakura's not home yet…" _

_"Sakura's not answering her phone…" _

_"It's pouring outside…" _

_"I SHOULD HAVE DROVE HER HOME!" _

He didn't think about it. He was already outside with his helmet on; he jumped onto his black Yamaha motorcycle and sped off. He figured Sakura was a smart girl and stuck to the main roads. So Sasuke weaved through the cars on the main roads, keeping an eye out for the poor girl.

_"Fuck! Sakura where are you?" _

He drove around a few more times then he found her.

_"Pink hair! Nice legs! That's her!"_

He pulled his bike onto a road-side-parking and hopped off.

Sakura shivered. _"Brilliant of me not to bring a fucking sweater!"_ She cursed at herself. She sneezed softly. People looked at her funny. It was strange that a girl as young as her was walking around alone in this kind of storm. Sakura looked down and watched her feet as she walked. She was practically soaked already. It was almost 10 pm, not particularly a good time for a girl like her to be walking about. Especially alone, cold and wet… _"And hungry…" _Sakura added. _"Naruto never did come back with that food…" _Sakura sighed, her stomach growled. _"That's right… I skipped lunch again didn't I?" _

**_"Stupid girl…"_** her inner self scolded. **_"You have to stop depriving yourself… or you'll faint again."_**

Sakura frowned again. She was starting to feel lightheaded. She had been like that for a while, and honestly she didn't know how long it would take her to get home. She sneezed again. Her eyes clamping shut. A familiar wave of pain echoed through her head.

_"Fuck, not now…"_ Sakura cursed. She wasn't paying attention to anything, all she was focused on was her empty stomach, her pounding headache and light headed-ness, and the fact that she was soaking wet from head to toe. She coughed abruptly before bumping into someone.

"I'm sorry…" She managed to croak out in a small sick voice. Sakura mustered her strength to look up at the person she had bumped into. Her eyes widened.

"Sa-Sasuke?"

He looked down at her fragile body and frowned. Sakura opened her mouth to say something but yet another was of pain, ten time greater hit her. She ended up grabbing her head with her hands in agony. Sakura felt her knees buckle and braced herself for impact against the cold cement sidewalk of Konoha's streets, but it never came. She felt something warm wrap around her. Sakura opened her eyes only to peer into enchanting black orbs…

"Sa-Sasu…" She couldn't even say his name before her eyes became heavy and she gave into the pain and weakness…. Sakura had fainted.

"Fuck!" Sasuke cursed. "Sakura!" He called her name and shook her gently. "Sakura!" She didn't wake up. Carefully he picked her up and carried her to his bike. Placing his helmet on her head and securing it, Sasuke got on the bike, Sakura safely in front of him. It was awkward, and dangerous for him, but he didn't think about that… all that mattered to him was…

_"I have to get her somewhere safe"_

Sasuke's bike roared loudly as he sped off to Konoha Garden Apartments. A frigile Pink haired girl in his arms...


	6. Family portrait

**Lady Rine Says:** OMG! I AM SOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!

i'm sorry it took so long for me to update. It's getting tougher every week at school and i'm pressed for time. Looks like i won't be able to update as quickly as i could before. it'll probably keep to being this slow (frown) i'm sorry.

PLEASE NOTE! that i wil NEVER drop any one of my stories.

it means a lot to me that you guys are still reading them. (smiles) thank you so much.

I tried to make this chapter long too! Hope you enjoy it.

**_I don't own NARUTO_**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 6: Family portrait. **

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She moaned slightly… _"That's right… I fainted again didn't I?"_ She glanced at the clock next to her bed… 3:22 am. _"3:22 am? Too early… must go back to sle-- WAIT A SECOND!"_ Sakura jolted upright. _"Didn't I faint on the street? What am I doing here! HOW! WHAT! WHEN! WTF!"_ Sakura looked around her room. She was fully clothed, but wrapped in a towel and daintily laid on her fluffy double bed. She looked out the window; it was still coming down just as hard. Sakura frowned. She felt her forehead, it was still slightly warm, but not too much, and it was manageable. Sakura pushed herself off her bed, her bare feet searched the bedside in the dark for her slippers, when she found them she slid into them, put on a dry set of PJs and headed out the door to the kitchen. She stumbled out of her room and made her way to the counter, an outline of someone's body in her peripheral vision caught her eye. _"Who's that!"_ Sakura thought nervously, she grabbed a kitchen stool and made her way across the floor towards the couch. She inched closer slightly. It was too dark for her to see who it was. _"Okay, this is the plan, I'll turn on the lamp, and then I'll knock this person out with the stool! GOOD PLAN!"_ Sakura reached for the lamp which was conveniently above the person's head next to the couch. _"Okay, ready… 3…2…1!" _

She flicked it on. "AHHH!" She screamed ready to swing the stool upon the sleeping form.

Sasuke woke up at her cry. "WHAT THE FUCK?" His onyx eyes looking at her as she held the stool like a bat. Sasuke tensed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

"SASUKE?" Sakura dropped the stool in total shock.

"Who did you think it was?" He snapped back at her, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Shit what time is it?"

"It's like 3 in the morning! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Sakura scolded.

"YOU FAINTED ON THE FUCKING STREET!" He got up and stared her down. "DID YOU THINK I WAS GOING TO LEAVE YOU THERE?"

"YES!" She replied in the same in-your-face tone.

"I'M NOT THAT MUCH OF A-" He cut himself off.

Sakura looked at him, her anger growing soft. Her gaze diverted to the floor. "A cold hearted asshole?"

"…" Sasuke wanted to glare at her for the comment. But he couldn't.

Sakura sighed. She glanced at the clock on the far kitchen wall… 3:31 am.

Awkward silence.

Sasuke couldn't help it, he studied her. Even in a room that only has a dull cheap bulb emitting light, her eyes and features were still as memorizing as they were in the day. Her ivory skin seemed to glow in the yellow light, and her emerald eyes shone with a watery gloss.

"Are you hungry?" She asked finally. Brushing past him and headed towards her little kitchen nook.

"…" Sasuke didn't answer, but he followed her shortly after, picking up the abandoned stool and setting it upright at the table. He positioned himself on it. Sakura flicked on the kitchen counter lights. It wasn't bright. But enough to see. He watched her take out a soup pot, fill it half-way with water, turn on the stove and place the pot on its top. Sakura then placed a lid on it and took a seat across from Sasuke. Her eyes on her lap.

Awkward silence again. She wanted to look at him. To see his face, his reaction. Questions filled her mind.

"How did you know where I lived?" She asked finally.

"The Hyuugas and Ten Ten called me." He never looked up… he focused on his hands resting on the tiny table.

"I see…"

Awkward silence once more.

"How did you get in?"

"Spare key."

"I see…"

Awkward silence.

"Why did you stay?"

"…" Sasuke remained silent.

_"Why did I stay?" _He asked himself.

**_"Because you were worried." _**His inner self reminded him.

_"Fuck off… it's too early for you." _

"You don't have to answer that…" Sakura's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"They were worried about you…" He said voluntarily. "So I stayed."

Sakura looked up at him. She was sort of surprised.

**_"Well well, he's not a jerk now is he? OH WHO WAS RIGHT? ME! HELL YEAH!"_** Her inner self mocked.

Sakura smiled softly. "Thank you." She said in a voice low enough to be a whisper.

**_"OHH! MAYBE HE LIKES YOU!"_** Her inner self got all giddy once again.

_"SHUT UP! One. He didn't stay for me. He stayed because Ten Ten and Hinata were worried sick. And two. IT'S FUCKING 3 AM! TOO EARLY FOR YOU!"_ Sakura yelled back at her inner mind, who just laughed at her.

Sasuke looked up at her. He saw her soft smile. It made his knees turn to jelly. Thank GOD he was sitting down.

**_"She's so freakken cute!"_** Sasuke's inner self cooed.

Sasuke grinned as Sakura smiled back.

The pot wheezed and Sakura got up to tend to it.

"What are you making?" Sasuke asked, watching her once again.

"Chicken soup." She replied taking the instant soup mix from the pantry. "Want some?"

"Why not." He shrugged. _"Today will be interesting."_

--

Sakura yawned. It had been an interesting morning. She and Sasuke had actually talked… Sakura, although sleepy, made her way happily to school… events of that morning's conversations lingered in her head…

**- FLASHBACK – **

The two of them were sitting quietly enjoying their bowls of hot chicken soup, a fitting end after running around in the rain isn't it?

Sasuke looked around at his surroundings. Sakura's apartment was tiny. If he took two steps from where he was sitting, he would be in what was meant to be her living room where he had slept on the crappy sofa. If he took 10 steps from the sofa, he'd be in Sakura' bedroom. Yeah, this place was pretty much tiny.

"Your place is so small. I take it you live alone?" It was more like stating a fact than asking a question.

"Yeah, my parents live in a small town just outside Konoha's boarders. So I'm on my own out here." Sakura answered not looking up from her soup. "What about you? It must be cool growing up in that big house of yours."

"Not really." Sasuke replied. He yawned.

"I think it would be cool. You've got butlers and maids. Your parents must be really great." Sakura said absentmindedly, poking at her soup noodles.

Sasuke stiffened at the mention of his parents. "Not really…"

"Aww, come on. I know people generally don't get along with their parents, but shouldn't we at least try, at least once, try to see things from their point of view?" Sakura blew on the soup slightly.

"No. I hate my parents." Sasuke's fists balled into a fist. He wasn't sure why he was voluntarily telling this to her, he just felt comfortable doing so. "They live in Tokyo and my brother went with them. I didn't want to go there with them and a whole lot of shit happened so I stayed here just to piss them off. They're always telling me what to do. Always telling me that one day I'm going to grow up and help my brother with the family business. But no. My fucking son of a bitch bastard of a brother took his portion of the family fortune and ditched us. Who knows where he is now, who gives a fuck? I DON'T. Sad thing is I looked up to him too. The arrogant bastard. And now, it's like my parents had no choice to but hand me the fortune since my brother disappeared. My father's all shitty and stern about it. Something about me not being as good with the business as my brother was. Itachi was always the talented one. He was smart, he was athletic, and he got all the girls, the fortune, the attention. I was shunned like a leaper in my own fucking family. Tell me Sakura does your family do that to you?"

It was too late for Sasuke to stop himself. He had stood up during his raging rant-off. He didn't even notice that in the process he had knocked over his bowl and broken it on the floor, chicken soup soiled all over. A wave of painful regret shot him in the stomach. There she was. An angel of a thing looking at him with wide water jade eyes. Her lips were parted in shock. Sakura didn't know weather to be scared of him or to cry for him. Of everything she's been through nothing ever made her as angry as Sasuke's eyes told her he was. She wanted to take him into her arms and hold him. She wanted to tell him that everything would be okay but she honestly didn't know if it would. Sakura was frozen in her seat. She dropped her spoon into her bowl with a clink. She tried to say something, anything! But no words came out. Desperate she tried again.

"Sa-Sasuke… I… I…" Her eyes were watering. "I'm s-so-s-sorry…" What else could she say? Frowning, Sakura finally tore her gaze from the attractive ranting male in front of her.

Sasuke ran his fingers through his hair. "Sakura… I'm sorry." He sat back down on the wiggly stool. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that…" Onyx eyes still upon the pink haired girl.

Sakura looked at him and smiled. "Iie… it's okay."

He was stunned. "What do you mean? You didn't deserve that I--" He was cut of and realized that she had taken his hand into hers. Sasuke became fixated on the softness of her hands. He studied them. Such slender cylindrical fingers. Such fine shiny eloquent nails. So small that they could easily fit into the curve he created within his fist. It surprised him that her hands fit perfectly into his own.

"Sasuke it's okay. Everyone has their fall outs with their parents… its normal. But that doesn't change the fact that they still love you." She smiled gently at him.

Sasuke didn't know what was going through Sakura's mind at the moment. She closed her eyes. Sasuke looked upon her in awe. It was if she had embedded herself into her own thoughts, her own feelings, and her own world. And he longed to be a part of it. Her words… somehow they sparked a feeling in him he didn't quite understand. Somewhere amongst the midst of giving him hope or thinking that she was crazy… Sasuke found himself nudging the feeling around in his gut.

He didn't reply to her… she was into her own world…

He just smiled at her relaxed expression with her eyes closed. And enjoyed the warmth of her perfect hands….

**-END FLASHBACK- **

Sakura smiled at the memory. She then realized that she –during her day dreams of that morning's events- had dropped her walking pace to that of a dreamy stroll. She looked at her watch. _"Shit!"_ she cringed, _"I'm late!" _

--

Sasuke snuck into his house at about 5 am that morning. He was sort of tired. Waking up to an angry Sakura with a kitchen stool in her hands like a baseball bat at 3 am was definitely NOT the wake up call he was a costumed to. Nevertheless, he felt as if something had been accomplished that night…err morning. What it was he didn't know. But he was glad it happened.

Groggily Sasuke took a quick shower and got dressed in his school uniform. He made is way downstairs. _"Sakura's right… I think. Maybe I could--"_ Sasuke froze halfway down the stairs.

"Sasuke-chan." A stern beautiful feminine voice called.

"Mother?" Sasuke wasn't sure why she was here. But if his mother was here, then that meant…

"Sasuke." The powerful voice of his father seemed to echo throughout the entire Uchiha manor.

"Sir." Sasuke immediately stood up straighter, his chin tilted upwards and his back straightened. As soon as Sasuke set his eyes on the roughened intimidating exterior that is his own Father, every ounce of hope that Sakura's warmth had given him iced over with hatred. Sasuke knew he still hated his father. "Why are you here?" Sasuke asked.

"Is that the way you greet your parents Sasuke?" His father barked at him. "We haven't seen you for a year and you can't even manage a hello. We raised you better than that."

"Sorry Sir." Sasuke cringed. "Ohiyo Gozimasu" (sp?) Sasuke said bowing, bending from his waist.

"Better." The Uchiha master approved.

_"Fucking hell…" _Sasuke thought, _"This is the last thing I need." _

--

_"That's odd…"_ Sakura looked at the empty seat beside her. Sasuke had missed first period. _"He was okay this morning… I wonder where he is."_ Sakura didn't want to admit out loud that she was concerned. After all, he was still a jerk face. Right?

_"RIGHT!" _Sakura concluded.

**_"Aww, don't be rash, what if something happened to him?"_** Her inner self argued.

_"Don't be stupid, Sasuke can take care of himself!" _Sakura fought back. She was starting to get used to having these fights

**_"You're right… he took care of you didn't he?"_**

Sakura paused. _"He took care of me…" _

**-FLASHBACK- **

"Sa-Sasu…" She couldn't even say his name before her eyes became heavy and she gave into the pain and weakness…. Sakura had fainted.

"Fuck!" Sasuke cursed. "Sakura!" He called her name and shook her gently.

_"Someone is calling me…"_ Sakura could hear faint cries. The voice was so distant.

"Sakura!"

_"There it is again…"_

She didn't wake up.

The pain made her numb… she couldn't feel anything…

_"I want to feel…"_

Carefully he picked her up…

_"It's warm…" _

And carried her to his bike.

_"I feel it… I feel warm…"_

Something wrapped around her frail body. It's grip was strong and secure, but soft and inviting. And it was warm… She loved it.

**-END FLASHBACK- **

"I can't believe I remember that… I'm never been able to do that before…"

"Remember what Sakura-chan?" Naruto gazed at his pink haired classmate. His face was right in front of hers, so close and out of nowhere that Sakura almost fell backwards when he spoke.

"AH! Naruto!" She yelped. _"Shit did I say that out loud? SHIT!" _

"EH?" Naruto leaned back and scratched his head. He had a few scratches on his face and a band aid across his left cheek. Yet, good old, stupid Naruto was still as bouncy as ever. "Sakura-chan, you're face is red. Are you sick?"

"IT IS!" Sakura cupped her cheeks. They were warm. Really warm! During her thoughts of Sasuke she didn't even notice that she had blushed a rather deep shade of red. _"Oh man…"_ Sakura laughed nervously and waved one hand in front of her face. "NO NO! I'm fine!" She said flashing him a smile that made a few guys in the class coo in delight. _"Thank God Naruto is a little slow on the uptake."_

Naruto seemed to believe her and gave a thumbs up and his usual foxy grin. She found a strange sense of safety in Naruto, even if he was a loud mouth. "You should be more careful Sakura-chan. It would suck if you got sick."

"I will don't worry Naruto." She smiled at him again. "I'm fine, really."

Naruto grinned at her. "Neh, where's Sasuke-teme?" He asked noting the empty seat next to Sakura.

"I don't know… I haven't seen him since…"

A vision of Sasuke eating chicken soup with her earlier that morning popped into her mind. She did her best not to blush. This time succeeding.

"Since yesterday?" Naruto finished for her.

"YEAH!" Sakura laughed nervously. _"THANK GOD HE'S SLOW!" _Sakura's gaze diverted to the outside window. "Since yesterday." She confirmed.

"Oi, I've got our tape." Shikamaru walked up to them. "I finished editing it last night. And it actually looks kind of good."

"I have the write up here." Sakura added digging into her book bag. She pulled out a navy blue folder and handed it to Shikamaru.

"Thank God. Someone with a brain did the write up." Shikamaru said, adding emphasis on the word 'brain' while glaring at Naruto who just laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"Nehehehehehe… hey, I have horrible grammar." Naruto winked at Sakura.

"You're horrible at anything that requires writing!" Shikamaru scolded.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!"

"Oh right, you're horrible at math too."

"HEY! NUMBERS AREN'T MY FRIENDS!"

"Oh my…" Sakura covered her face with her hands. The entire class was looking now.

"You basically suck at anything academic!" Shikamaru teased, crossing his arms across his chest victoriously. Naruto fumed.

"NANI! THAT'S IT LAZY ASS! I'M GONNA---"

"EHEM." The three of them turned to find Sasuke standing there. He looked kind of annoyed. "Do you two mind shutting up?" Sasuke pushed his way through them, walked around Sakura's seat and took his own.

"What's eating you teme?" Naruto asked puzzled by Sasuke's (more than usual) cold behavior.

"Nothing, fuck off." He snapped hastily.

Naruto and Shikamaru looked at each other with puzzling glances. This could only mean one thing. Sasuke's Parents had come to visit.

--

The rest of the day there was what seemed like a barrier around Sasuke. He didn't eat lunch on the roof with the rest of the guys. He hadn't yelled at Naruto, or call him 'dobe' at all. He hadn't even said anything to Sakura to mock her or something. It was way too out of the ordinary. Something was definitely wrong.

"He's being strange today…" Sakura confessed to her friends during lunch.

"Maybe S-Sasuke-san is sick?" Hinata offered.

"But he wasn't pale…" Sakura answered.

"Why don't you just ask him what's wrong?" Ten Ten suggested.

"ME? Why me?" Sakura was taken back.

"Well, it's like he has a soft spot for you or something." Ten Ten continued "I've never seen the great and stern Uchiha Sasuke carry an unconscious girl in his arms before. He even looks at you differently."

"Ten Ten is right Sakura-chan." Hinata agreed nodding.

"What do you mean!" Sakura had dropped her chopsticks and did her best not to blush. "He doesn't look at me any different then all the other girls." Sakura looked around nervously hoping that none of Sasuke's fan girls were within earshot.

"Sure he does Sakura! You didn't notice? He doesn't glare at you as much as the other girls."

"He doesn't glare at you guys." Sakura contradicted.

Silence. She had a point.

"That's because we're not one of his fan girls!" Ten Ten reasoned.

"Neither am I!" Sakura was good.

"Point well t-taken." Hinata added.

Ten Ten shook her head frustrated. "Look here Sakura, something is telling me that you're special. Believe me okay?"

"Whatever…" Sakura stuck her tongue out at her.

"Just talk to him okay?" Ten Ten sighed.

Hesitation….

"...Okay…" Sakura agreed. Ten Ten smiled in triumph.

--

When Sakura got back to class Sasuke was already there. She took in a deep breath and approached him with a smile on her face.

"Hey." She greeted.

Sasuke glanced at her. His eyes were reddened slightly. Tired no doubt. But there was something else. She couldn't quite figure it out. Sasuke turned away as quickly as he had glanced at her.

Moment of silence.

"What?" He snapped.

"Just saying hi…" Sakura frowned and took her seat. _"So much for that."_

**_"Aww don't blow her off, maybe she'll understand. Maybe she can even help."_** Sasuke's inner Id argued.

_"Fuck you."_ Sasuke snapped.

**_"Damnit! Stupid emo kid! Just freakken ask her! She's special remember!"_** and the Id left him alone.

Sasuke though about it for a little bit. From the corner of his eye he glanced at her. Sakura was resting her cheek on a propped up palm. She was reading… again.

_"Doesn't she do anything else but read?"_ He wondered.

Sasuke contemplated more on whether or not to confide in Sakura. She had listed to his rant earlier hadn't she? Maybe she was special.

He turned to face her completely.

"Sa--"

"HELLO CLASS!" Kakashi popped in. "Sorry I got lost on the road to life."

"LIAR!" The class boomed.

_"Damnit Kakashi!"_ Sasuke frowned and resumed looking out the window fully abandoning the idea of speaking to her. It's raining today.

"Yeah yeah… well…" Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and waved his hand. "Okay well let's take a look at those videos now shall we?"

Kakashi pulled out a box from the desk.

"We'll draw for it." He shook the box gently as he paced up and down the rows. He stopped in front of Ino's desk, two rows in front of Sasuke's and Sakura's desk, and asked her to draw a slip.

"Yuuji" Ino read.

A boy who sat behind Sakura got up, his group members got up too. They proceeded to the front of the classroom and read their theme and whatever as one of them popped in their tape.

Sakura wasn't really paying attention. All she heard was "Blah. Blah, moving on, blah blah…." Kind of boring, much like their music video.

"What a load of crap…" Sakura whispered to herself. The entire video was people running… _"How can the movie be about moving on, when all we see are Puma shoes? What the hell?" _She struggled to understand. She gave up when the Pumas stopped appearing and Nikies and Converses appeared. She started to doodle on her paper… well more like random things. She didn't even notice that she was writing a list.

--

_"What the fuck is this?" _Sasuke screamed in his head. He too was having difficulties grasping what shoes had to d with moving on. Sighing he turned back to watching the rain droplets combine with each other against the glass of the window.

"What a load of crap…" a faint tiny voice said. Sasuke turned at looked at Sakura. She was soooooooo bored. The sight and the comment made him smirk. _"Witty girl…"_

**_"She's cute too!"_** His inner Id happily added. Sasuke mentally sighed… he had tried too many times to kick his Id out of his mind, unfortunately that is not possible.

Sasuke watched her. She was writing some sort of a list. He didn't want to look. That would mean invading her privacy? Right? _"What the hell, one peek."_ Sasuke strained himself to read what she was writing.

-Find glasses- was printed in bold letters.

-call auntie tonight-

-get a job- this one was neatly X-ed out with a tiny doodle of a disgusted face next to it.

-become famous- this one had 'HA HA!' in bold next to it.

Sasuke was distracted when the lights came back on again.

Faint applause. The movie didn't even deserve a damn applause.

"Okay… that was…interesting." Kakashi started. "NEXT!" the boy, Yuuji probably, picked out another name form Kakashi's box.

"Shikamaru"

Shikamaru stood up confidently. Naruto cheered loudly as he stood up. Sakura and Sasuke followed the both of them silently as they made their way to the front of the class.

"You may begin."

Sakura opened her mouth to read the synopsis when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in?" Kakashi called.

A tall young man with long dark hair walked in. Some girls gasped and blushed furiously. Sakura was totally stunned. _"No freakken way!" _She remembered the family portrait in Sasuke's hall way. _"NO FREAKKEN WAY!" _Sakura looked over at Sasuke.

He too was frozen. His eyes were filled with a perfect combination of hatred and relief.

"YOU!" Sasuke yelled angrily. His tone sent shivers down her spine.

The young man in the doorframe stepped in and grinned at Sasuke. "Hello… little brother.


	7. Hidden talents, secret agendas p1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto... or Amuro Namie's "Girl Talk" (which is a REALLY REALLY good song.)

ENJOY!

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****Chapter 7: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 1...**

"Why the fuck are you here?" Sasuke hissed.

"Is that the way you greet your older brother?" the man smirked. "It's been a while since I've been back here."

Whispers erupted among the class.

"Isn't that Sasuke-kun's older brother?" One girl whispered.

"Yeah, he used to go here about 3 years ago. If you ask me he's just as yummy as Sasuke is." The other replied, they both squealed in delight.

Sakura could hear their giggles. She tore her gaze from Sasuke and her jaded eyes fell upon his older brother.

"Itachi, you've interrupted my class." Kakashi said his tone rather amused.

"Heh…" Itachi didn't look at him. His gaze fell upon Sakura. "Did I interrupt you my sweet?" He smirked slyly as he met the apple green stare.

Sakura blushed and looked down; she bit her lower lip nervously. Sasuke immediately turned over to his defensive side. He glared like crazy

"Leave her alone!" Sasuke snapped stepping in front of Sakura. He seemed to act upon instinct, extending a hand in front of his pastel haired classmate as if shielding her from his brother.

"Oh? What's this? Is she important to you little brother?"

"…" Sasuke remained silent. He refused to answer the question. Nevertheless, he did not stop shielding Sakura. This earned her glares from her female classmates, especially one angry Ino.

Sakura cupped her cheeks, they were really warm now.

"Itachi? Is there a reason why you are here?" Kakashi asked sensing the tension between the two brothers.

"I just dropped by to see my brother." Itachi smirked once more at the sight of Sasuke shielding Sakura and focused on Kakashi. "I didn't mean to disrupt your class." He turned back to Sakura. "Sorry to interrupt you sweetie."

Sakura felt her heart racing. She wasn't used to guys giving her attention like that. She's never met anyone who could get her adrenalin pumping so fast. "I-its okay…" She managed to say.

"Itachi why don't you watch the presentation? Sasuke and his group were just about to present." Kakashi suggested with a strange glint in his eye.

"Sure." Itachi walked to the back of the class, all eyes on him, and took a seat next to Kakashi.

"Please continue Sakura." Kakashi commanded.

Sakura took in a deep breath and regained her composure. She read a loud the cast and synopsis of their music video.

"Directed by: Nara Shikamaru  
Filmed by: Uzumaki Naruto  
Script and Editing: Nara Shikamaru

Sets and Staging: Uchiha Sasuke

Cast: Haruno Sakura, Uchiha Sasuke, Hyuuga Hinata, Ten Ten." Sakura paused for a moment and looked around the room. Girls were still glaring at her, guys were drooling over her. She cringed inwardly. She knew she wasn't really good at public speaking, and the very though of it made her stomach hurt, but she was fine before Itachi walked in. At least, she felt fine. She unconsciously glanced in his direction. He met her gaze and smirked at her. Sakura looked away immediately as not to blush but unfortunately shifted her gaze to meet the mesmerizing onyx eyes of Uchiha Sasuke. Somehow this look was different. It was soft, somewhat. She couldn't help it, she blushed. Sakura's head jolted back to face the class. She swallowed hard and finished it off. Shikamaru turned on the overhead projector so the class could follow along as Sakura read:

"Synopsis written by: Haruno Sakura.

Synopsis: A girl (played by Haruno Sakura) is in an abusive relationship that's going nowhere with her long term boyfriend (Uchiha Sasuke). Finally, she confides in her two best girlfriends (Hyuuga Hinata and Ten Ten) and comes to realize that she would be much better without him. In the end she gathers the courage to leave him."

Naruto popped in the video and the four of them took their seats as a classmate turned off the lights….

Sasuke glanced at Sakura as he took his seat next to her. _"Was she blushing earlier?"_ He wondered. Someone coughed quietly, Sasuke looked over, and it was Itachi. Sasuke glared at his brother. _"He didn't see that."_ He told himself and watched the video…

**(_"Girl Talk_": Amuro Namie)**

(A/N: sorry I couldn't find the translations, but it's such a kick ass song!)

The intro music was slow, and soft like an old record player. Images of Sakura and Sasuke yelling at each other in his bedroom played. Sakura looked as if she was going to cry as Sasuke yelled at her. Sasuke turned his back and Sakura spoke. The class could not hear the words because the music was overlapping it, but it seemed as if they understood. Suddenly Sasuke turned around and slapped Sakura across the face. This earned a shocking gasp from the class. Sakura's face tilted to one side, her pink hair sticking to her face. It was like slow motion. Sakura's face turned back towards him. Close up on her face. Jaded eyes teary. Her teardrops about to fall. Sakura's eyes narrowed in hurt as she turned and ran out of the house.

The song began with the chorus:

The video cut to Sakura, Ten Ten, and Hinata all decked out in white outfits dancing in a plain white room on a glass floor.

_**dare ni mo tomerarenai girl talk**_

Close up on Sakura's face, she winked at the camera

_**namida deru hodo ni warau to**_

zoomed out and framed the girls dancing

_**SUTORESU sae fukitobasu dokka tooku**_

_**We always talkin' about our lil' secret**_

The girls paused and made chatting gestures with their hands. Then they resumed dancing.

_**dare ni mo warikomenai girl talk**_

_**ESUKARE-TO suru REIDI-SU-tachi to**_

_**kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to**_

_**sou itsu demo**_

Close up again on Sakura

_**girls just wanna have fun**_

The three of them stuck a pose and the video faded to Sakura walking down the street lip-synching to the song

_**nee, wakaru desho?**_

_**muchuu na kimochi** _

Sakura turned into a café.

_**mata koi wo shita no**_

She took a seat with her girls Ten Ten and Hinata

_**so, homie girls, kiite my story**_

Ten Ten and Hinata leaned over the table as Sakura dove into her story…

_**chotto fairy tale no you na hanashi**_

_**sore wa fantasy**_

Sakura slumped over and held her head in distress as the two girls rubbed her back comfortingly. Sakura propped herself back up and made counting gestures with her fingers.

_**It's everything about boy**_

_**He & his & him**_

Sakura put her head down on the table and Ten Ten and Hinata exchanged worried looks.

_**uchiakeru DITE-RU koe wo hisomenagara**_

_**Sex and the city mitai ni**_

Camera zoomed out from the three girls and went back to the white room where the girls were dancing.

_**dare ni mo tomerarenai girl talk**_

_**namida deru hodo ni warau to**_

Close up on Ten Ten.

_**SUTORESU sae fukitobasu dokka tooku**_

Zoomed out and viewed all the girls

_**We always talkin' about our lil' secret**_

They made talking gestures again.

_**dare ni mo warikomenai girl talk**_

Close up on Hinata.

_**ESUKARE-TO suru REIDI-SU-tachi to**_

_**kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to**_

Close up on Sakura who had a somewhat seductive smile she was still singing to the music.

_**sou itsu demo girls just wanna have fun**_

Again they struck a pose. The next shot was back in the café and Sakura was drying her tears. Sakura's lips moved to match the lyrics.

_**kanari SHOKKINGU na kokuhaku ni omowazu kao miawasete**_

Ten Ten and Hinata looked shocked. Their mouths matched the syllables to:

_**Honey, are you serious?**_

Sakura nodded.

_**imasugu ni** _

Hinata and Ten Ten made a fluttering "good bye" gesture with their hands.

_**say good bye to him**_

_**hitori ni nattemo always be there for you**_

Sakura burst into tears again and her friends hugged her.

_**onna doushi mo suteta mon ja nai no**_

The girls helped Sakura dry her tears and they all got up to leave the café.

_**yeah... that's true**_

The three of them marched outside with their heads up high.

_**nagusameaeba tsuyoki ni nareru**_

Close up on Sakura. Her eyes were still watery, but they were filled with determination and she smiled brightly.

_**TERUMA & RUI-ZU mitai ni**_

The scene went back to the girls dancing in the white room. Sakura in her white mini skirt and tight one sided strap shirt and white knee high boots, she also had a white hat on her head. Ten Ten was wearing a white halter with white cargo pants and white track shoes; her hair was in two buns as usual but had white ribbons flowing from them. Hinata was wearing fitted white capris and a white hoodie shirt. Her hair was down but she had a white headband.

_**dare ni mo tomerarenai girl talk**_

Zoomed in on Sakura's enchanting jade orbs.

_**namida deru hodo ni warau to**_

Back out and viewed the girls dancing.

_**SUTORESU sae fukitobasu dokka tooku**_

_**We always talkin' about our lil' secret**_

The three girls laughed as they made the talking gestures once more.

_**dare ni mo warikomenai girl talk**_

Zoomed in on Hinata who flashed a timid smile.

_**ESUKARE-TO suru REIDI-SU-tachi to**_

The girls danced around like pros on the set

_**kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to**_

Close up on Ten Ten, her confidence seemed to flow right out of the TV.

_**sou itsu demo girls just wanna have fun**_

The three of them grouped together with arms around each other and they walked triumphantly as one towards the camera

_**(dare ni mo warikomenai girl talk)**_

There was an insert of the girls walking on the street with lemonade in their hands, laughing and talking with each other having a great time. (Sound familiar)

_**du ru ru tu hanauta majiri de**_

Insert of Sakura lying on a bed in her white outfit lip synching to the song

_**(kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to)**_

The girls were at the mall shopping together

_**du ru ru tu nomiakaseba**_

Again back to Sakura lying on the bed, this time it was just a close up on her face.

_**(dare ni mo warikomenai girl talk)**_

The girls were posing in a picture booth.

_**nan ni mo kowakunai**_

Insert of Sakura again on the bed smiling.

_**(kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to)**_

The girls were in a park fooling around blowing bubbles. Insert of Sakura alone in the white room.

_**kyou mo** _

She struck a pose

_**asu mo zutto** _

She struck another one.

_**We gonn' talk Oh**_

She held the note for a while, her eyes close and arms slowly flying upwards over her head.

_**Ohh girl friends...** _

She slamed them down and the camera zoomed in on her face, she smiled brightly and winked.

_**Alright**_

Zoomed out. Ten Ten and Hinata were there.

_**uchiakeru DITE-RU koe wo hisomenagara**_

The girls slowly started walking forward singing confidently.

_**Sex and the city mitai ni**_

They began their routine again.

_**dare ni mo tomerarenai girl talk**_

_**namida deru hodo ni warau to**_

_**SUTORESU sae fukitobasu dokka tooku**_

_**We always talkin' about our lil' secret**_

Zoomed out to Sakura packing up a bunch of clothes in the bedroom she was in at the beginning of the movie. She grabbed them and ran out. She opened the front door and came face to face with Sasuke. She paused then beamed confidently and pushed past him to join her girlfriends at the gate they walked away together.

_**are ni mo warikomenai girl talk**_

_**ESUKARE-TO suru REIDI-SU-tachi to**_

_**kamawazu hame hazushite okanai to**_

_**sou itsu demo girls just wanna have fun**_

They were in another bedroom, it was all white and they were having a pillow fight. It slowly died down. The chorus of the song repeated and slowly faded out. By the time it was over the girls had collapsed in the middle of the bed in a circle, heads touching in the center, they were laughing. The screen blacked out and the words "The End" wrote itself across the screen.

--

The class applauded. Some even stood up, standing ovation. The lights went on and they were still clapping.

"Now that." Kakashi began. "Was a music video."

The class was still cheering as the bell for final break rang. Flushed, Sakura bolted out of the room to find her friends.

Sasuke got up and headed for the door, but his brother blocked the way. Sasuke glared at him. Unraveled Itachi stood there stoic.

"We have to talk." He said in a cold mannor.

"Tch." Sasuke clenched his teeth and turned his head away.

--

"What do you mean it was horrible?" Ten Ten asked. She watched as Sakura took a seat at the piano. She poked at the "C" key and sighed heavily. The three of them chilled in the music room because no one was in there. It allotted for them to talk in private.

"It was horrible." Sakura said firmly.

"How?" Hinata asked.

Sakura blushed remembering the two Uchiha siblings. "I-it just was!" She said.

Ten Ten and Hinata looked at each other, neither one of them understood. Hinata decided to change the subject.

"Neh, Sakura-chan, do you play?" She asked taking a seat on the huge piano stool next to Sakura.

"Eh?" Sakura looked at her puzzled. "Well… no not really…" She replied looking down at the sea of black and white keys.

"Don't lie, you took lesson when we were kids didn't you?" Ten Ten said leaning against the grand piano.

"Well… yeah I did. But that was so long ago!" Sakura frowned.

"Play something." Hinata requested.

"ME!" Sakura squeaked.

"Yes you stupid!" Ten Ten laughed.

"NO WAY!"

"Please!" Hinata begged.

"Please!" Ten Ten cooed.

"NO!" Sakura protested.

"PLEASE!" Her best friends chimed in unison. "PLEASE! PLEASE!"

Sakura sighed. _"Why not, it's only them."_ She smiled at her friends. "Fine, but you can't laugh okay! It's been like 5 years since I've played!"

"We won't laugh!" Ten Ten exclaimed.

"Promise?" Sakura raised an eyebrow at them.

"Yes we promise!" Hinata assured.

"Okay…" Sakura paused for a moment, thinking of what to play. She placed her hands in the proper position and began to play.

Her fingers flowed up and down the keys rhythmically. Hinata watched as Sakura's hands glided up and down, back and forth, too and fro and all over again over the piano keys.

"Wow Sakura-chan, you're really good!" Hinata smiled.

Sakura blushed slightly and stopped playing to cup her cheeks. "No, no, it's not that good. I haven't played in so long." She said modestly.

"Hey I remember that song now! That's the first song you learned right? The one you played at out elementary recital?" Ten Ten said her voice full of cheer.

Sakura merely nodded. "Yeah…and some girl sang remember?"

Ten Ten nodded her head. "Yeah yeah! I don't remember how it went…" She frowned. "It was so pretty…"

"It was something about…" Sakura paused for a moment… "Bout some girl singing… in a bar… something like that… there was "eyes" in it… remember?" Sakura was unsure.

There was a long pause of silence among the three girls.

"Eyes on me?" Hinata asked. (A/N: -tee-hee- I couldn't help it.)

"YEAH!" Sakura and Ten Ten cried in unison. Their smile brightened and eyes lit up, the three girls giggled.

"Sakura do you remember the words?" Ten Ten asked.

"Vaguely…" she replied frowning. It was indeed a good song, one of her favorites too…

"Can you sing for us?" Hinata asked.

"Err… I don't know…" Sakura said doing her best not to blush, she hated the way she sounded when she sang.

"Come on, please!" Ten Ten coaxed propping her elbows on the edge of the black Yamaha grand piano.

"Umm." Sakura bit her lower lips nervously.

"PLEASE!" Hinata and Ten Ten gave their best friend their best puppy dogfaces. Sakura gave in with a heavy sigh.

"Fine…."

"YAY!" They cheered.

"Don't laugh at me okay? I'm horrible at this!" Sakura said. She never did have the best self-esteem. She took her stance once more at the keys of the grand. She took in a deep breath as if getting herself ready. _"It's okay, they're my two best friends, only for them. I don't have to be good I can just be me."_ With that thought in her head Sakura smiled brightly and started to play.


	8. Hidden talents, secret agendas p2

**HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**

I'm sorry it's taken a long time to update...(damn ISU season.) Anywho I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I got writers block writing it.

**ENJOY!**

-Lady Rine.**  
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** Chapter 8: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 2… **

"Do you guys hear that?" Naruto asked. They guys were on their way back from the roof. They've always passed the music room, but never had they heard anyone inside. "What is that?" Naruto wondered.

They guys found themselves drawn to the music

"It sounds like music." Naruto stated, tilting his head upwards, sticking his nose in the air and taking a few whiffs.

"No shit." Shikamaru said a silent s-drop coating the back of his head. "What are you doing? You look like a dog. It's not like you can _smell _the music."

Neji snickered.

"Shut up!" Naruto barked. "Where's it coming from?"

"Here's a thought, we're outside the music room." Sasuke said coldly, his eyes were narrow and darker than usual.

_"Whatever Itachi said it must have really pissed him off."_ Shikamaru thought mentally taking note of their friend's odd behavior.

"I knew that!" Naruto said taking a peek. He quietly slid the door open just enough for his eye to see through. He saw familiar blue hair. "Neh, I see Hinata-chan!"

Neji cocked an eyebrow. "Hinata doesn't play the piano."

"She's not the one playing." Naruto said. "I see Tenten too!"

Neji pushed Naruto's head down so he could take a look. "Let me see."

"Ouch!" Naruto landed face first on the floor.

"Shut up they'll hear us." Neji scolded. Shikamaru managed to sneak a peek at the girls from over Neji's crunched over head. Naruto, who was still on the floor, peeked through the lowest part of the partly open door. The music played on. It was just as enticing as Sakura's jaded eyes.

"Who's playing can you see?" Naruto asked from below. Shikamaru strained himself to see past the blue haired Hyuuga girl. He blinked several times before answering.

"Well I'll be damned…." He said quietly.

"Well?" Neji asked impatiently.

A slight skid of pink came into Shikamaru's view once more to confirm it. "The one who's playing is Sakura." Shikamaru smirked quietly and glanced in Sasuke's direction.

Sasuke who had calmly been leaning against the wall near the door (glaring at random people passing them by in the hallways) had suddenly tensed only for a mere millisecond at the mention of the pastel haired beauty. Of course this was only Shikamaru who had noticed this. _"Sakura certainly has an effect on him. I wonder what happened when I left on Sunday…"_ He thought inwardly smirking.

"I didn't know Sakura-chan could play the piano!" Naruto said excitedly, "WOW THAT'S SO COOL!"

"SHUT-UP!" Sasuke gave him a kick in the leg. "They'll hear you dobe!"

"Shh!" Shikamaru silenced the two of them, hiding his amusement with the Uchiha's reaction. "Some one's singing…"

Sure enough the boys could hear the faint sounds of some one's voice. The four of them squeezed themselves together too see through the crack in the door.

_"It's beautiful…"_ Sasuke thought listening to the angelic voice from within. _"Who is it coming from?" _

--

**"Whenever sang my songs… on the stage, on my own…"**

Tenten smiled contently… it had been a long time since she had heard Sakura's voice. _"Rusty my ass Sakura… we really have to work on your self-confidence"_ Tenten thought watching her long time friend. Back home Sakura won metals for her piano playing. She never knew why Sakura stopped. Her mother always made her play the piano, and Sakura loved it too. It never made any sense to Tenten why Sakura had dropped playing the piano like a lead rock.

**"I saw you smiling at me… was it real or just my fantasy? You'd always be there in the corner… of this tiny little bar." **

Hinata was blown away. She had never heard anyone with a voice like Sakura's. It was sweet and soft… not too powerful…not too weak. Somehow it was a different tone than when she spoke. _"Higher…"_ Hinata thought. _"Definitely higher than her everyday voice…"_ The white eyed Hyuuga closed her eyes and listened to her friend make beautiful music.

**"Darling so there you are… with that look on your face… as if you're never hurt… as if you're never down."**Sakura continued to sing… **"Shall I be the one for you? Who pinches you softly but sure? If frown is shown then… I will know that you are no dreamer…."** She played an instrumental portion of the song. She closed her eyes. The notes from the piano engulfed her and pulled her into a distant yet familiar feeling…

_"It's been so long since I've played…"_ Sakura thought feeling her fingers run smoothly up and down the piano keys. _"I haven't played since….since…"_

**-FLASHBACK- **

"Where are they!" A seven year old Sakura cried. It was raining… Sakura's recital had ended 3 hours ago. She had won first place in the junior division. The young girl was so ecstatic she couldn't wait to show off her new blue ribbon to her parents. But where were they? Sakura knew that her parents were busy people, running their own business and traveling a lot, Sakura spent most of her time at her aunt's house playing with the brunette next door. They always said the same thing to her…

**_"Don't worry Saku-chan! We'll be there for you!"_** She remembered her parents saying the same thing to her all the time… and they never were. But this time was different!

_"This time was different!" _ The young girl thought, tears forming in her shining emerald eyes.

**_"We'll be there Saku-chan! I promise!" _ **

_"They promised!" _Sakura wiped her eyes dry on her red jacket sleeve. Her parent still hadn't shown up and it was now 6:45pm… her recital ended at 3:00pm. She sighed and sat down on the bench outside the studio. Just then a car drove up in the distance. It was her Aunt.

"Sakura!" She called jumping out of the car and embracing the girl. "Sakura! I'm so sorry!"

"Auntie?" Sakura wondered why her aunt was there instead of her mom.

"Quickly you two, it's raining really hard now." Sakura could her Uncle call from the driver's seat.

"Uncle?" Sakura was confused. Why was her uncle here instead of her dad?

"Come now Sakura… get in the car… we're going on a trip?" Sakura's aunt said taking the young girl gingerly by the hand. Her voice was uneasy and ridged as if she had been crying… crying hard.

"A trip?" Sakura wanted to be excited but she was confused. "Where are we going?"

"We're going too…" Her uncle began, his voice was raspy and he trailed off looking over at his wife. He didn't sound too well. Were they hiding something from her?

"Where are mommy and daddy?" Sakura asked.

"We're going to go see them now Sakura-chan…" Sakura's aunt told her. She sniffled a little. Sakura didn't understand why her aunt sounded so upset.

"Where are they?" Sakura asked again a little frustrated. She gripped her ribbon tightly in her little fists.

"They're….they're…" her aunt started again. But she had burst out into streaming tears

"They're in the hospital Sakura…" Her uncle finished.

**-END FLASHBACK- **

Sakura stumbled on a few notes remembering that day vividly. She stopped playing. "S-so-sorry… I don't remember anymore…" Sakura lied. She hung her head, pastel locks covering her face, her hands resting lightly on the keys.

"You don't?" Tenten inquired. It was a little too fishy for Sakura to stop in mid-bar, especially in one of her favorite songs. But Tenten knew better than to provoke Sakura when she was like this. She never knew why she stopped in the first place. It seems that it would remain a mystery to her for a while. Sakura was not one to talk about her family.

"Aww… that's okay Sakura-chan. It was beautiful." Hinata smiled at her sweetly. "Neh! I have an idea! Why don't you join the school choir with me and Tenten?"

"Choir?" Sakura's head jolted upwards. She forced her memories to subside and focus on her blue-haired friend. "Me! No way!"

"Oh come on Sakura!" Tenten pleaded. "There's practice after school today! Come join us!"

"What? Why!" Sakura was shocked. She had never done anything extra-curricular. She had never been in any clubs or teams at any of her schools. Why start now?

"Come on Sakura. We need you! You're so good! It's been so long since I've heard you sing I've forgotten how freakken amazing you are!" Tenten cheered.

"Umm….I don't know…" Sakura mused over the thought.

**_ "Life's short Sakura…"  
_**

Her mother's words echoed in her mind. Sakura frowned slightly.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" Sakura looked up at Hinata.

"So will you come?" She asked the pastel pink girl.

Sakura smiled softly. "Why not?" She shrugged and her two friends cheered.

"Great! You won't regret it! It'll be fun!" Tenten assured her. Hinata nodded in full support.

--

Lunch time has ended as it usually does… the popular boys walking into their class rooms to the sound of screaming fan girls. Sasuke took his usual seat beside Sakura, closest to the window.

_"So the one singing was Sakura? Wow…" _

**_"Talent and Beauty… this girl has it all!" _** Sasuke's inner self mused.

_"You again!" _

**_"I told you. You can't get rid of me. I'm you stupid."_** Sasuke cringed inwardly. He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't' even notice that he had been staring at Sakura the whole time.

**_"I wonder if she noticed that you're staring…" _** His inner Id laughed. Sasuke blushed slightly and turned away just Sakura turned to look at him.

_"Was he just looking at me?"_ Sakura blinked, taking a closer look at her seatmate. _"Is he blushing!" _

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura started. Sasuke tensed up. "Are you okay?"

He turned around and glared at her.

"It's none of you business!" He snapped.

Sakura's brows furrowed, she pouted her full cherry lips and turned back to her book. _"I should have known!"_ She yelled at herself.

Sasuke sighed and resumed peering out the window. ****

**_"Aww, now she's mad at you."_** Yes the evil annoying Sasuke ghost has come back to haunt him.

_"Shut up!" _

**_"You know… Sakura can free you from this all." _**

_"No she can't. She can't free me. It's not possible." _

**_"You really have to stop blocking others out. She's not Itachi."_**With that his conscience left him.

_"She's not Itachi…" _ Sasuke repeated remembering the conversation he just had with his brother…

**-FLASHBACK- **

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Sasuke glared at his older brother.

"Tisk, tisk. Foolish little brother, since when do I have to have a hidden agenda to see my little bro?" Itachi looked out the window across the courtyard. He could see into the music room across the campus.

"Since always. You've never cared about anyone but yourself." Sasuke spat back at him.

"Sure I did, I cared for you didn't I?" Itachi only paid his brother little attention. His focus was mainly on and interesting pink hairdo girl in the music room in the next building. Even from far away he could tell it was her. After all how many girls have pink hair?

"My fucking ass you did. You fucking just left out of nowhere! I'm surprised father didn't disown you!" Sasuke was flaring. Here he was ranting to his older brother and Itachi wasn't even listening! Instead his back was turned and he was looking out the window at something.

"Father wouldn't disown me. I'm his favorite remember?" From where Sasuke was standing he could feel Itachi's egotistical smirk.

"Asshole…" He muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?" Itachi asked in a know-it-all voice that sickened Sasuke.

"FUCK OFF!" Sasuke turned to leave. This conversation was over! He reached for the sliding door.

"Heh. Typical Sasuke, always walking away."

Sasuke froze in his spot.

"What did you say?"

"You always walk away little brother." Itachi pulled his attention from the pastel haired girl in the distance and faced his brother. "No wonder you're alone." Itachi took a few steps towards Sasuke and placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "You hold yourself prisoner."

Sasuke shoved his brother's hand away.

"You're the one who walks away." Sasuke yelled angrily. Then he left.

**-END FLASHBACK- **

_  
"Fucking hell… stupid ass, prick. What the hell is he doing here anyway!" _ Sasuke cursed his fate under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Sakura take notes. Blue and red ink painted the pages of her notebook in the neatest writing he had ever seen. He looked down at his notebook; it had been shut the entire period. Sasuke was usually a good student; his grades were at the top of his class. It was unlike him to miss the entire lesson…even if he does zone out a lot.

RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING

_"Fuck I missed the entire thing!"_ He cursed in his head. He blamed his brother for this.

"TEST TOMORROW!" Kakashi called after his class.

Sakura packed up, getting ready to go to the next class. Gym. She hated gym. She didn't like running much, unless it was tennis-related or maybe even volleyball. Long distance running just pissed her off. She sighed heavily and gathered the rest of her things…

"Sakura?" A voice called behind her just as she was about to leave.

She looked up. Sakura was actually rather surprised. **_"Well what do you know, he speaks."_** Her inner self smirked. _"He better be apologizing!"_

"Can I borrow your notes?" Sasuke scratched the back of his neck. He didn't normally do that. It was actually kind of embarrassing that he was asking for _her_ notes instead of taking _his own_.

"Huh?" She blinked a few times trying to take it in. "Why?"

"'Cause I didn't take any! Stop being annoying! Are you going to let me borrow them or not?" He hissed.

Sakura frowned, furrowing her brows. "NO! NOT WITH THAT TONE YOU JERK!" She said hotly. She clenched her teeth and turned her back to him and made her way to her next class.

_"Fucking prick! What the hell! He was the one asking for the freakken favor! Damn ass-shit! Why does he always act like he has a stick up his ass! ARRRRRRRRRGGGHHHH! BOYS!" _Sakura stomped down the hallway. Teenage fan-boys took note of Sakura's angry expression and although they found her appealing, made way for her to pass.

Itachi walked the halls of his former school. He hated this place… hated every memory here. He cursed his father for it. His father… he was always the source of his pain… just as he is Sasuke's source. Itachi looked up. Ebony eyes caught the sparkle of a pink haired diamond in the distance. _"Isn't that…"_ Sakura came into his view. She looked upset. It made him grin. _"She's a spunky one isn't she? No wonder my little brother is taken with her."_ Sakura didn't look up as she approached him. Itachi smirked and stepped aside. He let her pass. _"Hum… She will do. Yes she will do very well for me…"_ Itachi thought to himself. He watched the pink diamond disappear around the corridor.

Sakura marched into Gym class and went straight to her locker mumbling curse words under her breath. She peeled off her blazer and hat and put them into her locker. By now she had stopped mumbling but her brows seemed to have set into a v-curve on her forehead and her cherry lips were fixed into a stern line on her face. Sakura clenched and unclenched her jaw as attempt to calm down. She unbuttoned her shirt pink lacy bra underneath. Sakura hung her polo in her locker and pulled out her gym shirt from her bag.

"Sakura-chan?" A soft touch found its way onto Sakura's bare shoulder. Sakura jumped a bit startled by the touch and whipped around. Her face immediately softened a bit.

"Hinta-chan." Sakura let out a small sigh of relief. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to." Hinata apologized frowning.

"Its okay don't worry." Sakura said smiling a little bit. Hinata, Sakura concluded, was a sweet girl, shy and smart, but she was also funny and fun to be with.

Hinata's features brightened up a little bit. "You're late, is everything okay?" Ten Ten asked coming up behind them.

Sakura nodded her head and pulled her cotton gym shirt over her head. "Yep!" She lied. She hated lying to her friends, but she didn't want them to worry.

"O-ok…" Hinata said. Her voice was a little shaky. Sakura wondered if Hinata knew she was lying. A pang of guilt hit Sakura in her stomach.

_"I'll tell her later… but not now… too many fan girls in here."_ Sakura thought looking around. The other girls seemed to have already changed from their kilts into their shorts. Sakura did the same. She unbuckled her kilt's fastens and it dropped to the floor. Daintily, Sakura slipped on her gym shorts. Gym uniforms were white and mauve. Their gym shirts were white cotton, loose fitted (loose enough to move around in, but tight enough to see form). They had the school's symbol printed in mauve over the right breast. Gym shorts were mauve, small and fitted. Sakura's rested right on her hips and ended about 6 and a half inches above her knee. It had a white trim along the bottom and a while line riding up the sides of her thighs.

A whistle sounded. And the girls made their way out of the locker rooms. Sakura quickly threw off her shoes and placed them in her locker then locked it.

"Come on Sakura!" Ten Ten called. She and Hinata paused at the door.

"Coming!" Sakura called. She scrambled to put on her runners and ran out the door after Hinata.

Quickly the girls fell into line. Sakura tied her shoelaces at the end of the line. The whistle sounded again and Sakura straightened up. Class had begun.

--

On the other side of the gym the boys lined up similar to the girls. Naruto was tying his shoelace. He glanced up at Sasuke who looked even more upset than he did earlier when he saw his brother.

"Sasuke?"

Sasuke looked over his shoulder for a mere millisecond then went back to staring into space.

"What?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" Naruto asked as he stood up from his crouching position.

"Aa…" Sasuke answered. _"He actually sounds serious…." _

"You sure?"

"Aa…" He answered again.

"Are you really sure?"

"YES!" Sasuke replied stunning his friend… and the rest of the class. Gai-sensei stopped his big "let the fire of youth be with you as you embark on the task I shall assign you in a moment" speech and looked at Sasuke.

"UCHIHA! SINCE YOU SEEM TO HAVE A BURNING FIRE OF ENERGY IN YOU, YOU SHALL BE THE CHOSEN ONE TODAY! PLEASE TAKE YOUR MARKS BOYS!"

Groaning the guys took their mark at the line and began to stretch before their run. 50 laps around the gym…. How annoying.

"Aww 50 laps today!" Naruto groaned, plopping on the floor to stretch his legs.

"DO NOT WHINE UZUMAKI NARUTO! THE FIRE OF YOUTH SHALL KEEP YOU RUNNING EVEN IF IT ONE HUNDRED LAPS!" Said a strange boy with an ugly bowl cut and huge plate like eyes.

"Lee, shut-up" Neji said irritated. Neji stretched his back then his arms. Lee, with his bushy eyebrows shrugged and went off to finish his warm ups.

"Neh neh, has anyone noticed how much thick brows looks like Gai-sensei?" Naruto wondered a loud as he finished his warm up. Sasuke merely nodded.

"BOYS TAKE YOUR MARK!" the advanced boy's gym class took their mark. Sasuke had a stern set frown on his face as he took the front of the line. "TODAY WE WILL BE RUNNING ALONG WITH THE GIRLS' FITNESS CLASS! KEEP YOUR FOCUS BOYS. THE FIRE OF YOUTH IS TRICKY WHEN THE BEAUTY OF A YOUNG WOMAN IS WITHIN THE EYES' VIEW!" Gai-sensei said as he walked up and down the boy's line.

The whistle blew on the girls side of the gym, warm up was over. "Okay girls!" Anko was a very different teacher, all women in appearance and charm, but damn did she run harsh drills! "Warm ups are over! We'll be running with the boys today! But only for 25 laps! Then we're doing gymnastics!" The girls let out a disappointed groan. "Shut-up!" Anko snapped. "HARUNO!" Anko pointed at Sakura "Lead the line today!"

"Me?" Sakura was stunned.

"Yes you! Come on girls get in line! The boys are already lined up!"

"B-B-But... but!" Sakura protested. She really hated running.

Anko blew the whistle and the girls made their way to meet the guys on the other side of the gym.

"Cheer up Sakura you'll be fine." Ten Ten put her hand on her pink friend's shoulder for comfort.

"Sure… you know I hate running." Sakura frowned. Could this day get any worse?

"That doesn't mean you can't right?" Ten Ten smiled. "You ran the relay back when we were kids."

"That's because I needed the credit." Sakura answered.

"Well isn't this the same thing?" Hinata asked. She had a point. Sakura paused.

"You're right…" she sighed. "It can't be that bad right?"

"Right!" Her friends echoed.

"Come on girls! MOVE IT! MOVE IT!" Anko yelled.

"Is she always like this?" Sakura asked her friends who merely nodded.

--

"Hey it's Sakura-chan." Naruto waved at his pink-haired friend. "HEY!" Sasuke and Neji looked up too from their line up.

Sakura looked up spotting the blond and Neji and…_"Just great…" _ Sakura sighed inwardly. She waved back awkwardly.

_"Shit."_ Sasuke tensed.

"Come on Haruno you're front." Anko Said as she guided Sakura to Sasuke's side at the start mark.

_"Fuck… Do it for the grade… it's for the grade… the damn fucking grade… I hate gym!" _ Sakura cringed.

Sakura took her mark. The gym students chatted away as their coaches tried to impose silence. Sakura couldn't even look at him she was so angry. _"That jerk isn't even apologizing. What the hell is his problem! Fucking prick!" _ Sakura was steaming. She took in a deep breath and pulled her long pink hair back securing it in a pony-tail. _"Chill Sakura… don't think about it. Don't think about it…"_

**_"Shouldn't you be saying something to her?" _**Sasuke's inner self asked him.

_"Like what?" _ He snapped back.

**_"Hum… Let's try 'I'm sorry!' Jesus."_**

_"I don't apologize." _

**_"Apparently not… but if you don't, she won't talk to us anymore." _ **His inner mind frowned, saddened at the thought of not hearing Sakura's angelic voice directed at him anymore. **_"Just say it!" _**

****_"No." _

**_"Say it…" _**

****_"No!" _

**_"Say it! Say 'Sakura, I'm sorry'…" _**

****_"NO." _

**_"SAY IT!" _**

****_"NO!" _

"On your mark..." Anko called pulling her whistle closer to her lips. Sakura took her ready stance. She didn't even glance in Sasuke's direction.

**_"Come on… say it!" _**

****_"No!" _

**_"Say it!" _**

****_"NO." _

**_"SAY IT!" _**

****_"NO!" _

"GET SET!" Gai-sensei cheered.

**_"Say it! Say it! Say it! Say it!" _**

****_"NO! NO! NO! NO!" _

**_"Say it…" _**

****_"No!" _

**_"Say it!" _**

****_"NO." _

**_"SAY IT!" _**

****_"FINE!" _

"GO!" Gai hollered as Anko blew her whistle. And Sakura took off, Sasuke after her, followed by the rest of their class.

**_"Go on, catch up with her and apologize!"_**

"Hn…" Sasuke picked up the pace a little bit until he was side-by-side with Sakura. He didn't say anything at first.

**_"COME ON SAY IT ALREADY FUCKING EMO KID!"_**

_"I WILL! JUST SHUT UP!" _Sasuke screamed at his Id.

The two of them jogged side by side for a little bit…about 4 laps in total silence.

**_"Any fucking time!"_**

_"I will… will you relax!"_ Sakura picked up her pace upon her 10th lap, Sasuke kept up with her. Some of their classmates started to lag behind.

15 laps they jogged now. Sakura picked up her pace again.

_"It's like she's trying to get away from me…" _Sasuke wondered to himself.

**_"Gee, I can't think as to why."_** His altar ego said sarcastically. If he could, Sasuke would glare daggers at his inner self, but that would look kind of funny now wouldn't it.

23 laps. **_"If you're going to apologize, you should do it soon. The girls only fun 25 laps!" _**

_"Fine…" _ He looked ahead. Sasuke had let Sakura increase her pace and get ahead of him by about three feet. He quickened himself and caught up to her easily.

"Sakura…" He began as he came to her side. Sakura merely glance in his direction for a millisecond. She frowned and then full out began to sprint. It was her last lap anyway. She just wanted it to end.

"That's the way Haruno! Last lap! LET'S GO LADIES!" Anko cheered, she blew her whistle once more.

Sasuke glared at her back and began to sprint too. He caught up with her. "Sakura… I-"

"No time Sasuke… must finish." Sakura said. And as if it were possible she ran even faster.

**_"Fast little thing isn't she?"_** Sasuke's inner self cooed. Sasuke frowned and although it's not smart to sprint when he has another 25 laps to do he sprinted anyway.

"COME ON BOYS! LET THE FIRE OF YOUTH BURN INSIDE OF YOU AS YOU COMPLETE YOUR FIRST CHECK POINT!" Gai-sensei blabbed from the sides.

Sasuke caught up with Sakura. "Sakura just listen to me…"

"Sasuke don't I just want to finish this run!" She ran a little faster, panting heavily, shining with damp scentless-sweat.

Sasuke caught up with her again. "Sakura just let me speak!" He was starting to get really annoyed.

"I think you're said enough to me today don't you?" Sakura shot him a glare then pushed herself faster.

Sasuke was right at her. "Sakura I just want to say-"

She went faster. He was beside her. "Sakura!"

Faster. Faster. "SAKURA!"

Push. Push. She was almost at the end mark. Sasuke was tailing her. "SAKURA LISTEN TO ME!"

Sakura crossed the mark and collapsed on her knees panting trying to catch her breath. Sasuke dropped next to her.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" Sakura yelled at him.

"I'M SORRY!" Sasuke hollered at her.

"UCHIHA! 25 MORE LAPS! THE POWER OF YOUTH IS WITHIN YOU! YOU MUST COMPLETE IT!" Gai called to him. Both classes watched on in interest.

Girls glared at Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke has never in the history of Konoha Private School, ever apologized to ANYONE.

Boys glared at Sasuke. Never had they been so jealous of Uchiha Sasuke. He has NEVER treated ANYONE like that.

Sasuke took a few deep breaths. His ebony eyes glued to the floor. Sakura looked upon him in total shock. Sasuke tore his gaze from the waxy gym floor and looked into Sakura's wide Jade eyes. A jolt was instantly sent down Sakura's spine and she wondered why Sasuke had such an effect on her. Sasuke clenched his jaw sighed deeply and pushed himself up to resume his task. Sakura could to nothing but watch him run away from her. She was still panting. Her heart was racing. She wasn't sure if it was from the exercise of from the way Sasuke had just looked at her. Ten Ten plopped down beside Sakura. A prominent victory grin plastered on her face.

"What I tell you Sakura? He definitely looks at you differently."

Sakura was speechless.


	9. Hidden talents, secret agendas p3

**Quick author's note: Pay attention this time -,-  
**

**Whaaaa... oh man its been so long since i've updated. Sry dudes i've been busy. LIKE I SAID! Updates will be spaced out from now on since i have to attend to more important things like getting into university. So yeah I apologize for the long waiting time. **

**(hopefully this will stop those e-mails saying "you lier! update now!" 'cause those are really freakken annoying. and i'm not a lier if you had paid any attention to the author notes! -,- jeez.)**

**  
anywho, enjoy! (I apologize if this chapter is a little confusing/short, i have big plans for the next few bits, everything will happen fast so read carefully )  
**

**-lady rine**

**

* * *

**

**DISCLAIMER: i don't own naruto.

* * *

**

**Chapter 9: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 3… **

"Oi…. Teme… what was that about earlier?" Naruto asked huffing trying to catch his breath from the dreaded 50 laps.

"Nothing." Sasuke responded coldly.

"Didn't seem like 'nothing'…" Neji smirked, his 'know-it-all' aura surrounding him once more. Sasuke glared at him for his comment.

"Shut up. She's nothing." Sasuke said as coolly as possible.

"If she was really 'nothing', then you wouldn't have made such a show out of apologizing to her." Neji reminded him. Sasuke tensed and turned his back to his friend, he could feel Neji's all seeing eyes pierce through him. Neji's triumphant smirk remained. "Even if apologizing to her was indeed appropriate…the Uchiha we once knew would never apologize to anyone. Yet alone a female transfer student."

"Heh, that's so true!" Naruto beamed. "So the bastard isn't so much of a human ice cube after all eh."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Neji continued. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the talk you had earlier with your brother would it?"

Sasuke balled his hands into tight fists at the mention of his brother. "No." Sasuke turned around and smirked right back at his white-eyes friend meeting his stare. "I was a jerk so I apologized. That's all there is to it."

"So then Shikamaru was right then." Naruto said. "YOU HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR SAKURA-CHAN!" He hollered and pointed at the raven haired boy. Unfortunately he said it loud enough to attract the attention of the entire gym.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE SO FUCKING LOUD!" Sasuke punched Naruto in the head. He fell to the ground laughing and rubbing his head as the enraged Uchiha twitched in annoyance. _"Stupid moron! I hope no one heard that…"_ S-drop. Sasuke looked up around the gym. _"Fuck!" _ Everyone was looking at them. He looked around. His classmates were staring at him funny; some with a look of jealousy, most with a look of shock and surprise. Sasuke glanced at the girls in the centre of the gym, the ones climbing the ropes. They stared at him, and then turned to look at Sakura. Sasuke's onyx eyes followed, focusing at the girls on the other side of the gym, the ones who were working on their back handsprings in groups of three. They too blinked in total shock, then like the other group of girls turned to glare at Sakura. Sasuke stared right at the pink haired girl. Her cheeks went pink almost automatically. Little did Sasuke know… his cheeks started to go slightly pink as well…

"UCHIHA!" They all snapped out of it as soon as Gai-sensei's voice echoed through the gym. "DO NOT USE SUCH LANGUAGE DURING MY CLASS! 25 MORE LAPS FOR YOU! GO!" Gai-sensei blew his whistle.

Sasuke seemed to not hear him. His eyes were locked on the pastel haired girl. _"Why am I looking at her?" _

**_"Because you like her you idiot!" _**

_"No… no I don't…" _

**_"Then stop looking at her."_** His inner-self challenged. Try as he might, Sasuke found that he could not tare his gaze away from Sakura's shining emerald eyes.

"Teme… you're blushing." Naruto said as he poked Sasuke's arm. The sudden contact was enough to jolt Sasuke out of his trance.

"What?"

"You're blushing." Naruto repeated himself.

"No I'm not."

"Then how come your cheeks are turning red?" Neji snickered.

"I'M JUST TIRED!" Sasuke snapped.

"UCHIHA! 25 LAPS NOW!" Gai-sensei repeated himself and blew his whistle again. Sasuke sighed and started his extra laps. He shot Naruto and Neji an 'I'll deal with you later' look and went off.

"OKAY GIRLS BACK TO PRACTICE!" Anko yelled. The girls' aerobics class went back to work. Whispers erupted among the females. Sakura was stunned.

_"What the hell just happened?" _She questioned herself. She replayed the past 45 minutes in her head. It didn't make sense to her. The endless 25-lap chases around the gym… the weird out of the blue apology… Naruto yelling a confession she never believed would happen. Was it all true? Did it add up? Sakura's head was spinning! It didn't make any sense! Not at all!

**_"I told you he liked you."_** Sakura could picture her inner self sticking out a light pink tongue at her laughing. Sakura bit her lower lip nervously.

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?" Hinata asked.

"Huh!" Sakura snapped out of her trance and looked at Hinata. "Uhh. Yeah I'm fine…"

Ten Ten didn't even have to say anything with that smirk on her face. Sakura knew what she was thinking. _"Damn Ten Ten… why is she always right?" _

Sakura turned her attention back to her previous task. Ten Ten and Hinata following suit. It was her turn anyway to be flipped over. Sakura took her stance. Ten Ten walked over to Sakura's left side, locking glances with the pastel haired girl.

"Shut up." Sakura frowned.

"I didn't say anything!" Ten Ten couldn't help but giggle. The whole thing amused her.

"But you were thinking it." Sakura replied earning a laugh from her two girlfriends.

* * *

Sasuke cringed. _"Fucking extra laps!"_ he cursed mentally. His legs were somewhat numb from running so much. _"Fucking Naruto!"_ He cursed again as he spotted his blonde friend enter Kakashi's Humanities class (yeah he teaches more than English and Media Studies). Last period of the day. If he could get through this period without anyone bugging him about Sakura or his brother, he just might have enough tolerance left to have dinner with his quote on quote "family". 

"Oi Sasuke!" Naruto greeted. Sasuke glared daggers at him and Naruto let out a nervous chuckle. "Come on, it wasn't that bad!" Naruto laughed it off slapping his raven haired friend on the shoulder. Sasuke twitched in annoyance.

"Naruto I don't think it's a good idea to piss Sasuke off anymore than he already is." Shikamaru said. "He might just kill you."

"That's not a bad idea." Sasuke said in a cold tone, glaring at the blonde who had stopped laughing now and had a look of freight on his fox-like face.

"Come on Sasuke… so Sakura knows you like her and your legs are a little numb, you'll be fine." Naruto said in his (annoying) sing-song voice. It only aggravated the Uchiha even more.

"I. DON'T. HAVE. A. CRUSH. ON. SAKURA!" Sasuke yelled out clenching his teeth.

"Hai, hai, whatever you say…" Naruto waved it off and took his seat next to Shikamaru. Sasuke began to crack his knuckles.

"Naruto you better start running…" Shikamaru whispered upon hearing the Uchiha bones crack.

Luckily for Naruto the rest of the class started to arrive. Among them was a certain pink-haired girl. Sasuke decided to remain in his seat and just glared at Naruto who waved from his hiding spot behind Shikamaru. Sakura walked over to the set of desks she shared with Sasuke.

"Umm, Sasuke-kun?" Her voice was crisp and clear. Sasuke noted that Sakura sounded like this only when she was talking to her good friends.

"Hm?" Sasuke remained in his usual stance. Hands clasped in front of his mouth. Though, his eyes were all on Sakura. She dropped a small booklet of photocopied papers on his desk. Sasuke eyed them wondering what they were. "What's this?" He asked with no trace of emotion.

"My notes…" Sakura answered still standing. "I couldn't let you borrow mine, so I photocopied them for you." Sakura took her seat now and propped open a book (as usual) and began to read.

Sasuke picked up the package and flipped through a few pages. A smirk found its way onto his face. It amused him how she pretended nothing happened in gym class.

"Sakura…" Sasuke began. He didn't really think as far as to what he would say. He supposed he should probably say something along the lines of 'thank you', but it wasn't his style. Sakura turned her head at the sound of her name. She smiled softly and put her finger to her lips telling him to remain silent and then she went back to her book. He smirked and obeyed. Who would've known that Sakura was a charmer like that? Sasuke didn't, but he liked it.

He liked her.

* * *

"Ma." Shizune called out the next syllable for the choir to sing. 

"Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma…" The choir sang their scales.

"Li." Shizune called again.

"Li-li-li-li-li-li-li…" The choir chorused.

"Very good." Shizune commented. Just then Ten Ten, Hinata and Sakura walked in.

"Gomen Shizune-sensei, we had cleaning duty today." Ten Ten said with a respectful bow, Hinata and Sakura followed suit.

"That's fine, who is this?" Shizune asked cocking a high brow. "Ah, this must be Haruno Sakura."

"Eh?" Sakura was surprised that Shizune knew who she was, it's not like she had any classes with Shizune.

"Don't look so surprised Sakura-san, you're the only girl in this school with pink hair. You're kind of hard to miss."

Sakura chuckled. "Unfortunately that's true."

The choir laughed along with her.

"Please join us girls." Shizune asked. "Sakura, which section do you sing?"

"Umm, I really don't know…" Sakura answered sheepishly.

"S-she's soprano Shizune-sensei." Hinata said. Half the choir was shocked that the Hyuuga girl spoke.

"Oh well then stand next to Hinata Sakura." Shizune directed. Sakura did as she was told. "Let us begin." Shizune tapped her music stand with her director stick (I'm sure they have a special name but…oh well.) "Ready? 5-6-7-8…" The choir began to sing. Sakura did her best to keep up since this was her first day.

Well into the chorus, Sakura felt someone tapping her shoulder, she turned around and someone passed her a note. Curious Sakura opened the note discretely and there in somewhat messy uneven writing there was a message. Sakura had to squint a little to read it since the writing was so crooked. It was barely legible, clearly a guy's, but somehow Sakura managed to read the writing:

_Dearest Sakura-chan, _

_  
I would be honored if you would please meet with me on the school's rooftop today after practice. I hope to talk to you there. _

It was not signed. _"Maybe he forgot to sign his name…"_ Sakura thought _"That's stupid… why would he put his name?_"She s-dropped. Oh well, she'd find out who the mystery guy is soon enough, later on the rooftop.

* * *

Not willing to head home, Sasuke sat leaning against the fence on top of the elevated hutch that housed the door to the roof. His heavy duty headphones draped his ears. He flipped through the pages of Sakura's notes. _"Jeez, this girl is so detailed."_ Sasuke noted. _"Her footnotes have footnotes."_ Sasuke read on, making notes of his own on the photo copied papers. He sighed and read over the notes again, it was like he was missing something. _"I should ask her to explain her notations…" _Sasuke thought. Just then his mp3 player died on him. Sasuke checked the battery pack, it was flashing. _"Damn… out of batts."_ Sasuke sighed again and started to rummage through his bag for an extra battery. It was then that he heard the door open. Curious as to who it could be at this hour Sasuke silently inched his way to the edge of the hutch and peeked over the edge some guy with dark hair stood there. The guy looked nervous. He paced in circles talking to himself and fidgeting with his fingers. He looked really familiar. Sasuke wondered where he had seen this person before. He was about to jump down to leave but the door opened once more. Pink caught his eye. "_Sakura."_ Sasuke instantly froze. _"What is she doing here?"_

The sound of the metal door closing seemed to make the boy jump. He turned around, a look of what seemed to be awe and nervousness crossed the boy's face as soon as he laid eyes on the pink haired beauty before him.

"A-ano… were you the one who wrote this note?" Sakura asked. Her emerald eyes shone in the sunlight as she held up the note she had received earlier.

"Um… ahh… well yes…" The boy said rather nervously. He scratched the back of his head. Sakura tilted her head to the side slightly, blinking a few times. Her cherry lips parted slightly as she took two steps closer to the boy.

"So?" Sakura began.

_"Damn… is she flirting with him?" _ Sasuke wondered watching her carefully unaware that his hands were balling into tight fists.

"Err…" The boy stuttered. "Sakura-chan… I um… err… I…" Then he went all quiet and fiddled with his fingers. Sakura cocked a delicate eyebrow. The boy sighed. "I'm sorry for wasting your time Sakura-chan… It's just that… I err… never mind." The boy's posture shrunk as he bowed his head and walked past her towards the door.

_"Well he's a wreck."_ Sasuke thought, his fists released themselves.

Baffled and totally lost Sakura turned and watched him for a moment. "Wait."

_"What?"_ Sasuke wondered. _"Why wait? Just go already." _

"May I at least know your name?" Sakura asked politely. She smiled sweetly at him. The boy turned around, his handsome lean face blushed a deep shade of red.

"Izumo… Izumo Akira." Akira answered. He scratched the back of his head again very nervously.

Sakura nodded. "Well then, Izumo Akira, I hope to talk to you again sometime." Sakura made her way past Akira to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow." She smiled. That smile was enough to captivate Akira and the desire to see it more boosted his confidence.

Sakura's hand reached for the metal handle of the roof-top's door. "Sakura-chan wait…"

"Eh?" Sakura turned and faced Akira. "Yes?"

"Umm, may I uhh… walk you home?" He smiled at her. Sakura blinked a few times then smiled once more herself.

"Sure, I'd like that… Akira-kun." Akira's face lit up with rays of hope. He was so happy.

Sasuke's fists clenched again. _"What the hell? Why did she say yes so easily! Stupid girl. And to think she didn't even say 'yes' to dancing with me!"_ Sasuke watched as Akira open the door for Sakura and lead her courteously down the steps. The roof door shut with a click and Sasuke jumped down from his hiding spot just above it. He stared at the door for a moment. _"Why do I care? She's annoying…"_ he clutched the pit of his stomach. _"What the hell is this feeling?" _

**_"It's called 'love' you idiot. Admit it, you're into that pink-haired girl."_**

_"No I'm not." _

**_"Yes you are. What else could that feeling be?" _**

_"Indigestion?" _

**_"You're even more hopeless than Naruto. I can't believe I'm a part of you."_**

* * *

Sasuke poked at his dinner with the fork. He stirred around the peas in the mashed potatoes and gravy. Although the dinner smelled really good, the thought of food right now made Sasuke nauseous. 

"Sasuke-chan, what's wrong? You barely touched your food honey." Sasuke's mother asked.

"Nothing." Sasuke murmured barely audible.

"That is not how you answer your mother!" Sasuke's father snapped. "Answer the question."

"I saw Itachi."

Silence.

Sasuke's mother looked away from her youngest son. Sasuke's father merely stared at his plate in front of him. Sasuke glanced at him mother, then at his father neither of them looked at Sasuke for a full 2 minutes. That could mean one thing; they're not telling him something.

"Say something!" Sasuke yelled impatiently not caring if his father yelled at him.

"Sasuke…"

"Eh?" Sasuke's onyx eyes shifted towards his father who still refused to look his son in the eye.

"Your brother came to us 2 years ago… we've made amends…"

Sasuke's fists clenched once more as his father continued.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sasuke asked trying to hide his anger.

"He said he would go to you himself." Sasuke's mother explained. "He asked us not too tell you."

"And you agreed?" Sasuke yelled.

"Of course Sasuke! Itachi was groomed to run the family company! He would to a spectacular job! Better than…" Sasuke's father stopped himself. Sasuke turned and glared at him.

"Better than me?" Sasuke asked.

His parents remained silent.

"Sasuke-chan…" His mother cooed. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He said nothing and left the dining room.

"SASUKE-CHAN!" His mother called again, she got out of her chair and went after her son. Her husband caught her in an embrace from behind.

"Let him be."

"Demo… Sasuke-chan doesn't know the whole truth. I cannot lie to my son forever!" She cried, tears wielding up in her eyes.

"Neither can I." Sasuke's father loosened his grip on his wife. "This is something Sasuke and Itachi must work out on their own. I gave my word to Itachi when I said I would not interfere."

Sasuke's mother bit her lower lip… salty tears landed on the marble floor.


	10. HT, SA p4 Jealousy

**Hey guys! hurrah i got to update .**

** anywho i hope you enjoy this little chapter.**

**I don't own Naruto. (sigh) **

**

* * *

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**Chapter 10: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 4… Jealousy **

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Ino screamed at the top of her lounges.

"You heard me Ino, you don't' have to vocal range for that part." Shizune said making her way down the halls, Ino tailing behind her.

"But if **_I_** don't play the part Konoha High's spring play will be ruined!" She gasped. "Ruined…" Ino repeated making a dramatic collapse on the floor of the empty hallways. The early sun's rays were shining through the window cast itself upon the hallway floors. Shizune took two steps and blocked the sunlight from Ino's reach.

"I said **_no_** Yamanaka. **_N-O._** For the last time you don't have the vocal range to play the princess. The celestial princess needs to be able to reach a high F. You can only reach G." Shizune replied bluntly. Then she kept on walking.

Ino jumped to her feet. "Demo! Shizune-sensei! G is one higher than F!"

"Ino, the G you can reach is one octave lower than what is needed." Shizune didn't even turn back.

"But there's only one person in this school who can reach that note! And we all know that Hinata won't do it!" Ino protested.

"Ino." Shizune paused in the middle of the hallway. "It's true that Hyuuga Hinata suffers from stage freight, but there is one more person in this school who can not only reach that note… but even higher. I have never met anyone with a range like hers."

"And who is this singing genius?" Ino asked impatiently, her hands placed upon her hips.

Shizune smiled and continued on her way. "Haruno Sakura."

* * *

"Are you feeling better today Uchiha?" Neji asked his raven haired friends as he approached their cluster of lockers. 

"Hn." Sasuke replied going straight to his locker and opening it. He opened his backpack and rumbled through it for the binders he didn't need for the first half of the day. While he was rummaging a booklet of papers fell out and landed on the floor. Sasuke tensed.

"Neh Neh, aren't those Sakura-chan's notes from Kakashi-sensei's class?" Naruto asked. Neji bent down and picked it up.

"Heh, what's the matter Uchiha? Too busy eyeing her to take notes? So you figure you could just borrow hers?" He smirked and handed the pages back to Sasuke who was twitching and turning red. He snatched it right out of Neji's hand and stuffed into his locker.

"I didn't need it!" Sasuke snapped. He was furious. His friends were poking fun at him and he hated every second of it. He would make it stop! At this point, Sasuke would do anything to make it stop. He was loosing his cool.

_"I'll show them!"_ Sasuke thought he grabbed Sakura's notes again and shook it in front of Naruto and Neji's faces. "I could take better notes than this with my eyes closed!"

"Umm Sasuke…" Naruto's face fell.

"I'm serious! What was I thinking asking a _noob_ for her notes!" Sasuke yelled at them.

"Uchiha…" Neji coaxed his voice stern yet gentle.

"Uhh… Sasuke…" Shikamaru walked up next to Naruto but immediately shut himself up as Sasuke continued.

"THIS STUFF WAS TOTALLY **_USELESS_**!" Sasuke yelled this loud enough that the whole hallway, that was buzzing with morning chatter. Froze in their places and looked over at the hot group of boys.

Total silence. Sasuke wore his stony glare, gazing upon his friends. It took about 2 long seconds for Sasuke to process that they were looking at someone behind him.

_"Oh fuck, don't tell me she's behind me."_ Sasuke slowly turned around. And there, about 2 meters from him stood the pastel haired beauty herself.

"Sa-Sakura…" Sasuke began. She just stared at him. With those innocent untainted green eyes of hers. This was a look Sasuke felt he would never forget. She didn't' do anything to him and there he was being an asshole. Her usual cheerful warm aura was replaced with an icy thick atmosphere. She was like a pink ice princess. Her jade eyes were wide and glossed over. She looked as if she was holding back her tears. Her lovely cherry lips were parted at a loss of what to say. In that split second Sasuke wished he could take her into his arms to feel her warmth once more… but she looked away.

Her head tilted down and off to the side so Sasuke couldn't see her face. "Then you shouldn't have asked for it…" She said quietly, but everyone heard her. Then she walked away down the hallway. She didn't even look at her two best friends who were standing by the corner on her way to greet her good morning however they were stopped earlier by Sasuke's rather loud rants.

"Sakura!" Ten Ten called after her. Sakura simply just walked by as if she didn't see them.

"Sakura-chan is really upset…" Hinata whispered. The hallway remained silent as people slowly began to resume their previous activities; discrete whispers were exchanged as they glanced at the Uchiha heart-throb on their way by.

**_"Good one Uchiha… now she'll never sleep with us."_ **Sasuke's inner self frowned.

_"SHUT UP!"_

**_"Hey don't blame me kid. It was YOUR pride that fucked things up."_**

_"Screw you."_ Sasuke sighed deeply and resumed his previous activity, rummaging through his locker. He stopped for a moment and looked back at where she was headed.

Ten Ten shot deathly glares at the raven haired boy. Sasuke's face remained unreadable anyway. He simply stared, watching a pink haired girl fade further into the corridor. It was about 5 long seconds before Sasuke noticed the glare on Ten Ten's face and the disappointed one on Hinata's.

"Come on Hinata, let's find Sakura." Ten Ten said turning her back to the boys. Hinata nodded and followed suit. "What a jerk."

"I can't believe you said that…" Shikamaru said in a cross tone. "She was nice… I liked her too. She wasn't as troublesome as the other girls in this school." The lazy boy leaned against the lockers and glanced down the hallway watching the two girls search for their pastel friend.

"Shut it." Sasuke snapped rather quickly almost cutting Shikamaru off.

"It was certainly uncalled for Uchiha." Neji shook his head.

"Yeah, that was way too cold, even for you Sasuke." Naruto commented glaring at his friend. He too had taken a liking to the sweet Sakura.

"FUCK OFF!" Sasuke yelled slamming his locker door shut. He glared at his dumbfounded friends and took off to his first period class.

_"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!" _ Sasuke yelled at himself all the way to class.

* * *

Sakura took the long scenic way to class. She wasn't at all looking forward to sitting next to that cold hearted jerk. Just when she though he was being sweet to her, her turns around and burns her….TWICE! _"That Jackass!"_ she cursed. 

**-FLASHBACK- **

Sakura was pretty content with the happenings of gym class. Although she could go without the other girls glaring death wishes at her. She sighed. _"He did apologize…"_ Sakura found a small content smile creep its way upon her face as she held a bundle of papers in her hand. _"Maybe Ten Ten's right, maybe he does like me after all…" _

**_"Fina-freakken-ly. Girl, are you daft? That's what I've been saying to you all along! Damnit! Ten Ten and Hinata could see it before you!"_** Her inner self laughed at her.

Sakura's smile widened and she blushed ever so slightly at the thought of Naruto's proclamation about her and Sasuke during gym.

_"Maybe… maybe this time things will be different."_ Sakura neared the classroom door. She could hear the people inside. Her heart started to beat faster as she though to what to say to Sasuke. She made her way through the doorframe, but just then…

"I. DON'T. HAVE. A. CRUSH. ON. SAKURA!" He heard Sasuke exclaim. She felt her heart sink.

_"I should have known…"_ She frowned slightly. _"Of course he doesn't… Stupid me. Why did I have to get my hopes up? Baka Baka Baka!" _

Sakura made up her mind that she would not show any emotion about what she had just heard. Actually she pretended that she didn't hear it at all, she just made her way up to her usual spot. She paused in front of Sasuke, debating weather to give him the notes or to thwack him on the head with them. She decided to keep her cool.

_"I mustn't sound like he affected me…"_ She drew in a breath. _"Confidence."_

"Umm, Sasuke-kun?" Her voice was crisp and clear. Sasuke merely sat there.

"Hm?" Sasuke remained in his usual stance. Hands clasped in front of his mouth. His onyx eyes shifted to her as if he was giving her his full attention. She dropped a small booklet of photocopied papers on his desk. Sasuke eyed them. "What's this?" He asked with no trace of emotion.

_"Damn bastard! Sounding all cool and shit!"_ Sakura fumed inside.

"My notes…" Sakura answered still standing. "I couldn't let you borrow mine, so I photocopied them for you." She sat down next to him. Sakura felt her visage fading away. This is where she missed her glasses. She could hide behind those. She took out a book instead. She had finished it 3 days ago, but she needed something to help her keep up her little masquerade. The book was all she had.

Sasuke picked up the package and flipped through a few pages. A smirk found its way onto his face. "Sakura…" Sasuke began.

_"FUCK! Don't say anything to me!"_ Sakura desperately though of how to keep him silent. _"I know!" _

She turned to face him and placed a delicate finger on her lips. Sasuke smirked and said nothing after that.

_"Phew… that was a close one."_

-**END FLASHBACK- **

_"DAMNIT THAT ASSHOLE!" _ Sakura frowned. She didn't notice how quickly she was walking, and absentmindedly at that too. She bumped into something hard and soft at the same time. She realized that it was a person. "GOMEN!" She apologized pulling back and bowing rather quickly.

"Sakura-san?" A friendly voice called out.

"Eh?" Sakura looked up to see who it was. "Akira-kun!" She smiled softly. _"Finally, someone who's nice to me."_

"Are you alright Sakura-san?" Akira quickly made his way in front of her, closing the gap. He placed his hands on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "I heard what happened."

Sakura cringed slightly, but shook her head no. "Iie, I'm okay Akira-kun." She smiled at him.

"Thank goodness…" Akira smiled back at her. They stood there for a moment. "I guess I should congratulate you now eh?"

"Huh?" Sakura creased her brows. "Why is that? Did I do something?"

Akira nodded his head. "Yes. Shizune-sensei selected you as the female lead in this year's play."

"NANI!" Sakura's eyes widened close to the size of dinner plates. "What did you say!"

"I said you're going to be the female lead in this year's play." Akira repeated with a smile on his face.

"Yes... I heard you the first time." Sakura s-dropped. "Demo why me?"

"Something about you being the only female with the proper range for the part."

Sakura stiffened. A flash memory of Ten Ten and Hinata talking with Shizune-sensei after choir yesterday when she was leaving to meet Akira on the roof-top echoed in her mind. _"So that's what they were up to… Damn it all!"_

Akira draped his arm around Sakura's shoulders. The sudden contact snapped Sakura out of her day dream. She blushed slightly at the close proximity of their bodies. Akira was a full head and a half taller than her. Almost the same height as Sasuke, Sakura noted.

"Come on, I personally think you'd be great on stage." Akira began to guide Sakura to her homeroom class.

"Oh?" Sakura blushed even more as Akira took her book bag into his available hand and along with his own bag he bent his arm back draping his and her bag over his shoulder.

"Yeah, you're pretty…"

Blush.

"And smart."

Blush.

"And talented."

Blush.

"Not to mention you're really sweet."

If it's even possible, she blushed even more.

"Did I already say that you were pretty?" Akira blinked a few times looking up at the ceiling as if deep in thought.

Poor Sakura was redder as a tomato by the time they reached her classroom.

"Ehh..heh...heh…" Sakura gave out a nervous chuckle.

"Sakura." Akira's voice went from playful to serious in t minus 2 seconds flat. It startled Sakura. His serious tone was still warm and gentle and it sent a vibe of security through her entire body. She couldn't deny that she liked it. The heat in her cheeks subsided momentarily as she lifted her chin to gaze at his handsome face. Akira's face was more boy-ish than Sasuke's, although they had the same shape. Sasuke's chin was not as sharp as Akira's, but Sasuke's nose was pointier than Akira's. Their hair, the length was the same, but Sasuke gelled his back, Akira led his freely fall to frame his face. Their eyes on the other hand, Sasuke and Akira's, they were the same, a different color, but Sakura felt the same chill, maybe less, from Akira's eyes as she did from Sasuke's. She convinced herself that Akira's look was warmer and less mysterious. They had arrived at her class now. Perfectly framed by the doorframe.

"Yes?" She bit her lower lip.

"Are you okay? Your cheeks were red earlier." Perfect navy blue eyes peered into her apple green ones. It sent yet another thrill through her body.

"H-hai…" She was starting to sound like Hinata. _"Why does he have such an affect on me? This is like when Sasuke looked me in the eye." _

**_"Don't think about Sasuke anymore… he's being a jerk. Besides… Akira is so sweet."_** Sakura couldn't help but agree full heartedly with her inner mind.

Suddenly Akira leaned in. Sakura closed her eyes as she felt his forehead against her own. She blushed furiously.

"A-A-Akira-k-kun…" She stuttered.

She could see a solemn smile spread across his delicate lips. "I'm glad…"

"Eh?" Sakura was puzzled. He pulled away slightly.

"I thought you were getting a fever… I was wrong." He smiled fully at her. He retreated to a respectful distance now. "Take care of yourself." Sakura nodded, a smile played on her cherry lips. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to our little star." He winked at her.

_"So not helping the blush factor."_ Sakura thought as Akira handed her, her book bag. "A-Arigato." She smiled.

"No problem." Akira smiled once more and turned to be on his way to class. "Neh Sakura." He stopped abruptly.

"Yes?" Sakura's face lit up.

"Will you do me the honor of having lunch with me today?"

"I'd love to! " She replied in a sing-song sort of voice.

* * *

Sasuke watched the doorway. The closer it got to 8:30 the more people come into class, but still no sign of sakura. _"What the hell is she doing? At this rate she's going be late."_ Suddenly a hint of pink caught his eye and Sakura came into view… but with another guy. "Eh? That's the guy from yesterday." Sasuke didn't realize he had said that out loud. It attracted the attention of his lazy and loud mouth friends. They turned their attention to who Sasuke was looking at. 

"Who's the guy with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked to no one in particular.

"I think that's Izumo Akira, captain of the Senior Kendo Team." Shikamaru said recognizing the slick navy hair.

"Why is he with Sakura?" Sasuke asked… again to no one in particular. His voice was hoarse and had a rather possessive tone to it. Shikamaru wondered if it was more on the jealous side or they angry side.

"Why does it matter?" Shikamaru teased. "I thought you _didn't_ have a _crush _on her." He smirked.

_"Kick me while I'm down why don't you?_" Sasuke thought glaring at the lazy brunette who had a confident smirk on his face. _"Ass." _

The three of them watched the two bodies in the doorframe. Suddenly Akira's head bent down towards Sakura's. They were extremely close, a little too close for Sasuke's liking; his eyes widened. _"FUCK! DID HE JUST?"_ Sasuke dragged his eyes away from the couple and out the window. He didn't want to see that.

"Did that Akira guy just kiss Sakura-chan?" Naruto was dumfounded. "I didn't know Sakura-chan had a boyfriend."

"I didn't either." Shikamaru said while glancing sideways at the Uchiha boy.

Sasuke remained silent. He could see the couple's reflection through the window. He watched as Akira pulled away from her. Sasuke's fists balled. _"Why do I care? I don't even like her like that. Why am I getting so worked up about this? She doesn't belong to me." _

Sakura, rather flushed, made her way silently over to her desk. _"I wonder why Akira-kun wants to be with me so badly… I'll admit I like the attention from him. But something just doesn't sit right. Maybe it's just me being paranoid. Yeah that's it. I'm just being paranoid. I'm sure things will be different this time."_ She sat down still enveloped in her own thoughts. _"Yes I pray things will be different this time." _

"Sakura-chan?" Sakura snapped out of her thoughts upon hearing Naruto call her name.

"Uh huh?" Sakura turned her face towards him.

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"EH?" Poor Sakura was so embarrassed. _"God is there no end to the fucking blush thing!"_ She thought feeling her cheeks go warm… again. "Well... err... I…"

"What's his name?" Naruto inquired somewhat cutting her answer off.

"Izumo Akira. But he… err... well we… err… umm…" She wanted to say they weren't together… but then it _could_ happen. _"OH NO! Does Akira-kun think we're already an item! NANI!"_ Sakura fanned herself lightly with a piece of paper.

"I think it's great that you've found someone Sakura-chan. I hope he treats you well!" Naruto cut her off once more.

"I um…" Sakura tried to explain.

"'Cause if he ever does anything to hurt you! I'LL KICK HIS SORRY LITTLE ASS!" Naruto continued.

"Demo, Naruto, Akira-kun and I are-"

"I DON'T CARE IF HE'S ON THE KENDO TEAM! I'LL BEAT HIM THAT'S FOR SURE!"

"That's sweet of you Naruto. But Akira-kun and I aren't-"

"YOU'LL SEE SAKURA-CHAN! I WON'T LET ANYONE HURT YOU 'CAUSE YOU'RE MY FRIEND AND THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS DO!"

Sakura s-dropped. So did Shikamaru. Sasuke did his best to ignore the entire conversation. _"She's not important! She's not important! She's not important! She's not important!" _Sasuke kept telling himself. His mind told him to believe it, but his heart didn't buy it.

"Naruto, Akira-kun and I aren't-" Sakura tried again.

"FRIENDS WILL ALWAYS BE THERE…" Naruto stood up and did his cool guy pose.

"Naruto…"

"TO HELP EACHOTHER IN TIMES OF NEED."

"Naruto…"

"WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE!"

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed at the top of her lounges. The entire class turned and looked at her.

"Yes Sakura-chan?" Naruto was un-phased by this he merely put his hands behind his head lazily.

Sakura sighed. "Akira-kun and I aren't 'together'…" She explained.

"Eh?" Naruto was confused. Sasuke glanced at Sakura; relief crossed his face for a millisecond, unnoticed by all except one lazy Shikamaru. "But I thought… just now… he… didn't he?"

Sakura shook her head. "No Naruto, he didn't." She flushed slightly at the thought of his lips against hers. She pictured it perfectly in her mind. Two figures at the park, under the big cherry blossom tree; it would be raining and he would try and cheer her up. Then slowly he would lean in and plant a chaste but loving kiss upon her lips. But when they pulled apart, it was not Akira she saw, but the silhouette of someone else vaguely familiar. "It would be nice…" She whispered softly to herself so no one could hear. Sasuke heard her though. He looked away once more out the window.

Thus the day started. A flustered Sakura. A confused Naruto. An amused Shikamaru. A very late sensei. And one agitated Sasuke.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

It might be a while before i get to update this again. Please be patient. THANKS!

**_  
-Lady Rine_**


	11. HT, SA p5 Kiss?

HELLO!

I KNOW I KNOW ITS BEEN SO LONG!

and i apologize... i do have a personal life though you know:P

geez, i've only been in school for a month and i'm already behind in readings!

oh well!

hope you guys enjoy this looooooooooooooong awaited chapter 11!

heart always

-lady riinee

* * *

** Chapter 11: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 5… kiss?  
**

A woman in her early 20s briskly walked down the hallway of a new building downtown. She was about 5'7" or so, maybe about 5'10" with her heels on. The woman flew down the hallway; she fixed the slick black framed glasses on her face and tucked a loose strand of matching black hair behind her ear, the rest was pulled back in a tight, neat bun. Her eyes were an odd auburn color, accented with black and brown liner and mascara. Her cheeks were dusted light pink and her lips painted a deep red, the color of blood. She was clean cut. Very business like with her tall black stilettos, and skin colored nylons. She wore a business suit. Colored navy blue with fine thin white vertical pin-stripes: her skirt was fitted and went just about to her knees they matched her blazer with wide a wide open collar panels framing the white silk tank-top she had on underneath. She griped several manila folders in her lift hand leaving her right to swing briskly, fist clenched, like a pendulum matching her quick strides and moving hips. Her heels could be heard, clicking against the tiled floor. Delicate brows were creased with rage and her blood lips were pressed in an angry line. She neared the room at the end of the hallway, flying past the open windows that let the light from the outside shine in, looking much like a shadow running from something… or someone.  
She burst through the door into the isolated room of the CEO.

"This is madness!" She screamed. The CEO's chair was facing its back to her. "He won't agree to this!" She practically threw the manila folders on the desk. Corners of the papers inside peeked out from the folder's edges.

"He will." The CEO replied. His cool deep voice always managed to send chills down her spine. The chair slowly moved, spinning around to face her.

"Demo, Itachi-sama, yo-" Before she could finish he had her chin cupped in his hand. She blushed, he smirked.

"He will." He dropped his hand and took a step towards her, she took a step back. He took another one closer, she took back, he closer, she back, closer, back…until her back pressed up against the wall. Itachi pinned her in-between his arms, pressed his chest against hers, she blushed furiously. "Kaana… you're wearing the lip-stick I bought you… the day your fiancée left you"

"I…" Kaana stumbled at a loss for words.

"Heh…" Itachi smirked and released his prisoner from his grasp… for now. "My father will agree… and so will my brother."  
Kaana did her best to calm her racing heart; her hand was placed on her chest as she breathed in long breaths softly.

"How…how wi-"

"Will I do it?" Itachi turned and walked back towards his desk a prominent smirk on his face. "Easy… I'll simply have to offer them a deal they can't resist."

--

The bell rang for lunch and Sakura quickly got up. She gathered her books quickly and skipped merrily out of class.

"Well she's in a rush…" Shikamaru said watching the pink haired girl rush down the hallway. "Seems happy, whatever that Izumo guy said to her earlier really cheered her up." He glanced at Sasuke wondering if he hit a nerve. It amused him that the man with a heart of ice was easily flustered at the mention of a certain pastel haired girl. However the ice man seemed to keep his cool. Sasuke merely shrugged.

"It's not our business." And with that Sasuke made his way out of the room.

"Well at least he's back to being himself." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Yeah, good old Sasuke-teme with a stick up his ass." Naruto laughed, but stopped when a book nailed him in the head. Shikamaru sighed. "TEME!"

"I heard that dead last."

--

"Sakura over here!" Akira waved Sakura over; she smiled and made her way to him.

"Hello Akira-kun." Sakura said a sweet smile prominent on her face.

"I'm glad you accepted my invitation."

"Me too."

"Shall we?" He asked holding an arm out for her to take. Her smile grew wider and she took it happily.

"We shall." And he led her off.

Ten Ten and Hinata smiled as they watched their friend and the rather attractive young man reach a tree in the courtyard. Akira took out a blanket from his bag and lay it upon the ground. Sakura took a seat first and Akira sat next to her.

"Aww, they're so cute!" Hinata cried.

"Finally! A decent guy who knows how to treat a lady." Ten Ten sighed.

"You make us sound like we're all perverted jerks." The girls turned around to be faced with none other than the famous 4 themselves. Neji frowned. "We're not all perverted jerks you know."

Ten Ten flushed slightly. "Anyway…" She started. "Hinata, I guess it's just you and me for lunch today." Hinata nodded.

"Why don't you guys have lunch with us today?" Naruto asked. Hinata's cheeks flushed lightly.

"R-really?" She asked.

"Why not?" Naruto looked at the guys behind him. Shikamaru shrugged, Neji nodded, Sasuke however wasn't really paying attention he was watching Sakura laugh and smile while Akira spoke to her.

"Sasuke?" Naruto poked his shoulder. No response. Sasuke watched as Akira took out a bento box out of his backpack.

"He's not listening to you Naruto." Neji said. "Oi Uchiha?" Still nadda. Sasuke watched as Sakura's cheeks turned slightly red as she bowed her thanks to Akira.

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome, he's watching his crush have lunch with another guy because HE blew it." Shikamaru said trying to catch Sasuke's attention. It didn't work though. Sasuke watched as Akira took Sakura's hand into his and kissed it slightly.

"Wow, teme's really out of it. He must really like Sakura-chan." Naruto snickered. Sasuke cringed slightly at the sight before him, he turned away and headed to their usual lunch spot.

"Lets go."

Neji, Hinata, Naruto, Ten Ten and Shikamaru blinked at the raven haired boy's back. He didn't respond to any of their taunting.

"Jeez, what a guy." Ten Ten sighed.

They followed him anyway.

--

"You have the most amazing eyes I have ever seen princess… eyes filled with hope and love…" Akira said.  
Sakura blushed slightly. So what if they were just acting out a scene for the play. Any girl would blush at that kind of comment.

"So what do you think Sakura-san!" Akira asked her. "Should I try out for the play?"

"I think so, that was really good." Sakura replied smiling. "But I think you need to put more soul into it when you're trying out, you know how Shizune-sensei is." Sakura replied rolling her eyes. She was still kindda ticked that they didn't ask her first before putting her in the role of the princess.

"Try outs are coming up really really soon. I'm so nervous Sakura." Akira's cheeks flushed from embarrassment. Sakura smiled. She couldn't help it, he was just too cute, showing his vulnerability like that.

"Don't be nervous Akira-kun, I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"You think so?" Akira asked his spirits lifting slightly.

"Definitely!" Sakura gave him a smile that was to die for. Akira smiled back and her and leaned in to give her an innocent peck on the cheek.

"Thanks Sakura." He grinned. Sakura blushed and resumed eating, Akira followed suit.

--

"No." Neji said for the last time. He confirmed that asking the girls to have lunch with them was not a totally good idea. Ten Ten and Hinata have spent the whole time trying to convince them to try out for the school play.

"Come on! There's not enough guys that actually try out for parts. Some girls end up playing male roles!" Ten Ten frowned. They weren't getting anywhere.

"HAHA!" Naruto laughed. "Girls were playing guy's parts! HAHAHAHAHA! Ouch!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head where Shikamaru had knocked him with rolled up  
script the girls had presented to them.

"Then don't write so many male parts, you already know that there aren't a lot of guys who try out. So stop making roles for them." Shikamaru said while glaring at Naruto.

"OWW WHAT THE!" He screeched when Neji knocked Shikamaru in the head.

"Shut up! Hinata-sama wrote the play this year." Neji barked defensively.

"Then you should try out" Ten Ten smirked feeling the Hyuuga male tense. He glared at her momentarily but ceased when she returned the glare ten fold.

"Hn." He huffed.

"You sound like Sasuke." Ten Ten teased. This earned her a glare from both males, which she again returned ten fold.

"I-if w-what the guys s-say is true, t-then who will play the m-male l-lead?" Hinata started. "S-Sakura-chan will be r-really upset i-if she is t-the only l-lead. Right?"

"You're right." Ten Ten shrugged. "But when the news gets out that the Haruno Sakura is playing the female lead, there'll be so many guys trying out!"

"But it's a musical, not many guys can sing!" Naruto said. "I mean, I'm probably failing music anyway."

"That's no surprise" Sasuke smirked.

"Hey you probably are too! I've never heard you sing Teme!"

"I took guitar… and I'm getting a 98, beats you dead-last."

"TEME!"

"DEAD LAST!"

"TEME!"

"DEAD LAST!"

"TEM—"

"WE GET THE POINT!" Ten Ten and Hinata yelled at the same time. This startled the guys a little and they fell into silence.  
Ten Ten sighed. "Oh well, I guess the part of the knight will go to Akira-san."

Sasuke's ears perked up. "he's trying out?"

"Oh course, he signed up right away once he heard Sakura was playing the part of the princess."

"SAKURA-CHAN IS THE PRINCESS? SAKURA-CHAN IS THE LEAD! COOLNESS!" Naruto shrieked.

Massive s-drop.

"You're stupid." Shikamaru sighed. "Troublesome guy." He muttered

**BRRRRRING BRRRRIING **

And so lunch ended. And the rest of the day went without Sasuke and Sakura exchanging one word.

--

Sasuke packed up his gear for his last class of the day, guitar. As an elective he kind of liked this class, it was the only class that he didn't have with any of his friends or Haruno Sakura. It was kind of his "alone time" the only downer was, Akira was in his class. For a brief second Sasuke turned his attention to Akira. He had a smile pestered on his face as he unplugged his patch cord from the amp. Sasuke realized that he was glaring at Akira. He never had before. So why start now. He practically felt his inner self grin.

_**Because you like Sakura…  
**_

_…_

_** And Sakura likes Akira… **  
_

_… _

_**Face it Uchiha…**_

_…  
**  
You…**_

_…  
**  
Are…**_

_…_

_** Jealous.  
**  
No. I'm not!_

_**Sure… Keep telling yourself that.**  
_  
Sasuke clenched his fists. He pictured about 50 ways of making Akira suffer, but a knock at the door snapped him out of his thoughts. Sasuke (along with the rest of the class) turned his attention to the door-way.

_ Sakura?_

"Gomen." She stumbled, bowing apologetically. "Sorry for disturbing you but is Akira-kun here?" She asked politely. Akira smiled upon hearing her voice.

"Just a second Sakura, I'm just packing up."

"Okay, I'll wait outside okay?" She smiled.

"Okay. I won't be long." She nodded and left the door frame. Sakura leaned against the wall outside. She shifted uncomfortably. She admitted she was nervous. Sure she was real  
comfortable around Akira, but it has been a long time since she's sung in front of anyone. She wondered how she was going to do it in the play. Sakura bit her bottom lip nervously.

_What if I'm bad? What if I crack? If I hit a bad note? I CAN'T DO THIS!_

Sakura shook her head of her thoughts she wanted to leave. She shifted herself to go back inside the room and tell Akira she wasn't feeling up to it. But something firm and soft obstructed her way. She looked up to meet the onyx eyes of no other than Uchiha Sasuke.  
Sasuke looked down at her, peering into her sea foam green eyes. It scared him how easily he lost himself in them. What was he doing again? Oh right leaving, but suddenly he didn't feel like going anywhere.

"G-gomen." She squeaked. Her head snapping to the floor.

_ Its so awkward around him now…  
_

"Its okay…" Sasuke said remembering he had a voice. "Where are you going?" Damnit! He thought I didn't have to continue!

"I was… err…" Sakura fumbled.

"Were you leaving?"

Sakura nodded.

"Why?"_  
_

_ Think Sakura THINK_

"I…"_  
_

_ SAY SOMETHING_

"I…"_  
_

_ ANYTHING_

"I didn't want to see you." She blurted out._  
_

_ ANYTHING BUT THAT! SAKURA NO BAKA_

Sasuke felt a ping of guilt hit him. He knew he was a jerk to her but he didn't realize he had made her hate him entirely. "Oh…" is all he managed to say. Then he just brushed past her and continued on his way. Sakura looked over her shoulder at Sasuke's back, her eyes drooped with resentment.

_**Hey! He deserved it! That jackass**_ her inner self assured her.

_I didn't have to return the favor… _

"Sakura-san?" Akira's voice sucked Sakura back into realty.

"Hai?"

"Ready?"

"Uh… yeah." Sakura forced a smile as she and Akira left the building.

--

"Sasuke is that you?"

Sasuke paused for a moment before leaving the school. He turned upon hearing the voice of their principal Tsunande.

"Hn."

"Humm... still not one for words."

Sasuke just stared at her.

"Anyway… I was looking over your records, and it turns out that you haven't finished your community service hours, AND you don't have ANY academic extracurricular  
activities listed."

"Where are you going with this?" Sasuke asked as he rolled his eyes. He turned his back slightly as if continuing his way out the school doors.

"Sasuke, you're going to try out for the schools play on Friday, for the led, and you're going to get the part, or you won't be graduating next year."

Sasuke was shocked.

"What?"

"You heard me Uchiha! If you're not on that stage in two months, you don't graduate. Get it? Got it? GOOD!" with that Tsunande flicked him a script and walked away.

Sasuke stared down at the script in his hands. "Shit."

--

"Thank you so much Sakura-san! I think I can get the lead!" Akira said packing up his things. "Glad I could help" Sakura said with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow okay?"

"Looking forward too it!" Akira responded with an enchanting smile. Sakura merely returned the smile and showed Akira out the door.  
Sakura waved goodbye to Akira and locked the door after him.  
She then went to the kitchen and started to make dinner. Sakura sighed. She hated this part of the day. She despised being alone for her meals. To her it was the loneliest part of the day. Sakura took note of how empty her kitchen was without sharing it with anyone. She frowned slightly. She remembered how excited she was when she first moved out on her own.

_I said I would be able to take care of myself. That I didn't need anyone to do it for me…_ She thought to herself as she sat down to eat.

_I just never thought… it would be this lonely._

When she had finished her meal, she remained seated at the table in her tiny kitchen nook and sipped her seeped tea. Her thoughts drifted back to her home town, so many memories, she drowned herself in them.

**Knock. Knock.**

The sudden sound snapped her out of her thoughts and back into reality.

"Coming!" Sakura shouted. I wonder who that could be… Sakura opened the door and was taken back by whom she saw.

"Hey…" Sasuke greeted not looking at her although he knew her face held a shocked expression.

"Sa-Sasuke?"

"Hn." He nodded.

--

The two of them sat at her kitchen table like they did before. "What brings you here?" Sakura asked curiously.

"well…" Sasuke started. **  
**

** Flashback  
**  
"Sasuke, you're going to try out for the schools play on Friday, for the led, and you're going to get the part, or you won't be graduating next term."

Sasuke was shocked.

"What?"

"You heard me Uchiha! If you're not on that stage in two months, you don't graduate. Get it? Got it? GOOD!" with that Tsunande flicked him a script and walked away.

Sasuke stared down at the script in his hands. "Shit."  
**  
End Flashback  
**  
"Ah I see" Sakura nodded silently as she eyed the script on the table.

"So can you help me or not?" Sasuke asked coldly. She felt her heart sink slightly._  
_

_And here I thought he was coming by to see me, all he wants is for me to help him graduate._

It made her angry.

The way Sakura thought of it there were two ways she could respond to him; either one:

"Sure Sasuke-kun I'll help you..." then she could collect a favor from him later

or two:

"Why should I help you? You're rude and a jerk! Someone must have dropped you on your head when you were a child because you must be retarded to think that I'd agree to help you after the way you treated me! You arrogant son of a bitch!"

That's what she wanted to say to him, but of course she didn't instead she responded with silence for Sakura was debating on how to answer him.

"Well?" Sasuke poked impatiently

"Well? Well what I'm thinking!" Sakura spat back at him, her brows knitting in aggravation. "Jeez, so impatient."

Sasuke stayed silent, quietly fuming inside. There was just something about the rosette haired female in front of him that put him on edge and he didn't know what it was, that just pissed him off more. After 10 more minutes of silence Sasuke had enough.

"Sakura…" No answer.

"Sakura?" She remained silence.

"SAKURA!"

"WHAT!" Sakura snapped clearly annoyed.

"Are you going to answer me or not?"

"NO!"

"What?" Sasuke was taken back, "what did you say?"

"I SAID NO! N. O.!" Sakura glared at him with angry emerald eyes. "Give me one good reason WHY I should HELP, YOU!"

Sasuke pondered for a moment, then a sly grin crossed his face.

"I said GOOD Uchiha, and it better be a GOOD reason."

"Heh." Sasuke smirked. Sakura tapped her foot impatiently.

"Well?"  
Sasuke looked around her apartment. "Judging from the look of this place, you don't exactly have a lot of… financial support do you?" Sakura's taps stopped, her eyes softened signaling to Sasuke that he hit a soft spot. "And I've been here before and it seems as if you live alone. You go to school full time and study most of your free time so I'm also guessing that you don't have a part-time job. Am I right?"

"We-well I don't have one yet." Sakura said confidently pointing out the classified ads on the kitchen counter.

"And I am to understand that your brand new glasses are broken correct?"

"How did you know about that?"

"Heh." Sasuke smirked pulling a familiar object out of his bag. "You forget Sakura, I know everything in Konoha high."

Sakura stared at the object. "Tho-those are my glasses!"

"Yep. All fixed up and everything. Do you know how much this cost me to fix?"

Sakura remained silent and eyed him. _  
_

_Shit! I can't pay him back for that_

He had her, now she HAD to help him.

"Are you planning on giving those back to me?" Sakura asked her brow rose.

"Are you planning on helping me get this part?" Sasuke mimicked in the same tone.

Silence.

"Fine…" Sakura breathed "I'll do what I can."

Sasuke smirked in triumph.

"But you have to understand that you have to put some effort into this too… its not like I can wave a magic wand and poof you have talent." Sakura said sarcastically, getting up from the table.

"Yeah, yeah…hey are you implying I'm not talented?" Sasuke glared at her as she got up from the table. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get my script! Auditions are on Friday, two days is not exactly a long time." Sakura scoffed entering her bedroom. She muttered curses under her breath "jeez…so nosy"

"I heard that!" Sasuke scolded from the kitchen. Sakura merely stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh yeah that's real mature Haruno." Sasuke mocked making an ugly funny face at her in return.

"Oh yeah that's real attractive Uchiha." Sakura rolled her eyes and entered her room. She grabbed her script and went back to Sasuke.

"Okay, lets get started, have you even read the script?"

"Hum?" Sasuke looked at her blankly.

"I guess not. Jeez, I don't see what's so great about you."

"Relax, I read it." Sasuke interrupted.

"Really?"

"yeah."

"Then what's it about?" Sakura looked at him slightly amused.

"A girl…"

"That's it?"

"A princess."

"Okay?"

"And a prince… and a knight."

"Are you just guessing?"

Pause… "No."

"Okay then what about the princess and the prince and the knight?"

"They fall in love." Sasuke replied rather bored. Truth be told he merely skimmed through it on the way over here.

"Who?"

"The princess."

"DUH, with who?"

Sasuke remained silent. Sakura sighed… Its going to be a long night

--

**Brrrrriiiing.**

**Brrrrriiiing.**

The school bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Sasuke turned to his seatmate but found that she was already halfway out the door. "Damnit that girl." He cursed under his breath. Auditions were tomorrow and he felt as if he wasn't ready, much to his dismay, he needed to run lines with Sakura one last time before he tried out. It made sense, right? RIGHT.  
Sasuke grabbed his bags and zoomed past all the crazy fan girls in his class who were trying to crowd around him and the other famous 4 members in his class.

"Oi! Teme where are you going?" Naruto called out to him. But the Uchiha didn't care to answer; he just kept on his way doing his best to keep up with the pastel haired beauty.

"What's up with him?" Naruto wondered out loud.

"Don't know." Shikamaru shrugged.

"SASUKE-KUN WHERE ARE YOU GOING!" Some schoolgirls wined as they followed him down the hall._  
_

_Holy shit, where the hell did she go?_ Sasuke wondered; scanning flooded hallways for any sign of pink. "Frikken girl, she knew I needed her help too."

"Aww you needed my help?" Asked a sarcastic voice behind him. Sasuke turned around and there standing in front of him was the pink princess herself. "You could have just asked me in class. Was I supposed to guess?" She glared at him.

"Hn." He responded (if you call that a response).

"SASUKE-KUN!" Ino called from down the hall.  
Sasuke cringed and swore under his breath. Sakura giggled slightly hearing him swear. He looked up at her, her eyes shone when she laughed they still sparkled when she giggled. Pure innocence. He smirked at her and took a place at her side, but slightly behind her just as Ino approached them.

"Hello Sasuke-kun!" She chimed. "Forehead girl" She glared.

_ Wow… can you say bi-polar_ Sakura thought as she forced a smile at the blonde.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino began again. Sakura could practically sense the Uchiha roll his eyes beside her and she wondered how the blonde in front of them could be so oblivious to the fact that Sasuke didn't like her.

"Want to go to the mall with me?" Ino asked with what Sakura thought was supposed to be a seductive wink.

"No." Sasuke answered pretty much immediately.

"AWWW WHY NOT?" Ino whined. Sakura cringed at Ino's high-pitched whine in annoyance.

"Uhh…" Sakura began, "Sasuke I have to get going." She said and took a few steps forward.

"Sakura." Sasuke called her name and grabbed her hand stopping her from going anywhere. Sakura was startled. For one she wasn't expecting him to grab her, and two she noted how he called her name. Was there some distress and need in his tone? Or was it her mind playing tricks on her again. She turned her head to look at him, shock donned her features for a second then it was gone, but Sasuke seemed to just know that she was still puzzled by his actions. To tell the truth he wasn't entirely sure why he had grabbed her himself, his body seemed to act on its own when he was around her, and he didn't like it. The whole thing was alien to him.  
Unfortunately for them Sasuke's fan girls were all present in the hallway and the ruler of them all, Ino, was right smack in front of them. Not a smart move.  
Sakura stared at him with her sea foam eyes unsure of what to say or do.

"FOREHEAD GIRL!" Ino screeched "LET GO OF SASUKE-KUN!"

"Are you daft!" Sakura glared at her, her hand still within Sasuke's grasp. "He's the one latched on to me!" Sakura literally pointed out, pointing to Sasuke's firm grip on her hand.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Ino whined sounding much like a 5-year-old girl who didn't get her way.

"Shut up." Sasuke said in his stoic, deep, enticing, dreamy voice. Shocking the annoying blonde. He succeeded in shutting her up and starting soft whispers among passer bys.

"Sakura," Sasuke's hand didn't leave hers as he started to lead her down the hallway. "Lets go." He made his way out, hand in hand with a very confused Sakura.  
Sakura was so out of it that she didn't notice a very shocked and heart broken Akira among the lingered in the hallway.

--

The two of them walked towards Sasuke's car in silence. Sasuke let her hand fall from his grasp and clicked the button to unlock the doors to his car felt as if she was supposed to, expected almost, to get into the car. Sasuke opened the driver's door and got in. He settled himself in and started the engine. Sakura paused in front of the passenger side door wondering if she was supposed to get in too. The windows rolled themselves down at the flick of a button. She could see Sasuke's aggravated face through the empty space. He cocked an eyebrow at her as if she was stupid or something.

"What?" She snapped.

"Are you getting in or not?"

"Am I your pet?" She placed her hands on her hips. "Just because I owe you, doesn't mean you can order me around all the time!" Sakura snapped. She pouted her lips in a frown and crossed her arms turning her face and body slightly away from him.

Sasuke frowned at her resistance. It was aggravating. "Just get in the car."

"And if I refuse"

"Your choice." Sasuke shrugged pointing outside to the pouring rain.

Sakura took one look at the rain and her face fell. She sighed heavily and gripped the handle to the passenger seat and pulled it open. She could practically feel Sasuke smirking in triumph, although his face held no emotion. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye as he pulled his car out of the covered parking area and into the rain.

"I still don't like you though…" She said to him.

"Hn."

--

The ride to Sakura's house was silent. Neither of them spoke nor looked at each other.

**FLASHBACK**

"Sakura."

Sasuke called her name and grabbed her hand stopping her from going anywhere. Sakura was startled. For one she wasn't expecting him to grab her, and two she noted how he called her name. Was there some distress and need in his tone? Or was it her mind playing tricks on her again. She turned her head to look at him, shock donned her features for a second then it was gone.  
Sakura stared at him with her sea foam eyes unsure of what to say or do.

"FOREHEAD GIRL!" Ino screeched "LET GO OF SASUKE-KUN!"

"Are you daft!" Sakura glared at her, her hand still within Sasuke's grasp. "He's the one latched on to me!" Sakura literally pointed out, pointing to Sasuke's firm grip on her hand.

"SASUKE-KUN!" Ino whined sounding much like a 5-year-old girl who didn't get her way.

"Shut up." Sasuke said in his stoic, deep, enticing, dreamy voice. Shocking the annoying blonde. He succeeded in shutting her up and starting soft whispers among passer bys.

"Sakura," Sasuke's hand didn't leave hers as he started to lead her down the hallway. "Lets go." He made his way out, hand in hand with a very confused Sakura.

** END FLASHBACK  
**  
Sakura shook the memory out of her head. She gazed down at her wrist and touched it lightly where Sasuke had grabbed her.

_What the hell was that about_

She wondered. She blushed lightly._  
_

_ His touch was warmer than I thought it would be._

She glanced at the boy beside her quickly hoping that he wouldn't notice.

_He's so cold on the outside. _

She remembered the first night they spoke at her apartment over chicken soup, he had let her into his life just a little. The memory made her smile softly to herself.

_But he can be warm too…_

She sighed slightly at the thought. Although she hated the way he acted and sometimes his personality, there was just something about him that sent shivers, good shivers, through her.

Sasuke glanced at the girl beside him.

_I wonder if she really doesn't like me, if she hates me._

When they reached a stoplight he glanced looked over his shoulder at her once more. She was looking out the window at the rain. A soft smile on upon her face and hands placed  
neatly on her lap. It was like she was glowing. She was the image of pure and ideal innocence and it struck him. Sakura was like a walking masterpiece.

_She looks so peaceful._

He thought to himself. He felt himself smile, not smirk, smile, at the vision before him.

_She's really beautiful...  
_

_**HA! You admitted it**  
_

_ (Groans) oh jeez, fuck off.  
_

Sasuke frowned at his internal conflict and went back to staring at the road in front of him.

Sakura saw him thought, from the reflection of the window. She saw him look at her, smile, then frown and go back to what he was doing. Her smile widened slightly.

_Yep. He can be warm too. _

--  
_  
_

_ This is not working out the way I want it too… _

Sasuke thought to himself. Apparently there was more to this acting thing than he thought. Sasuke mentally kicked himself for forgetting that this theatre performance required him to move as well as saying his lines. He had to move to match his lines, and for some reason he just didn't feel right with what he was doing.  
She sat in front of him as he attempted to create choreography for himself. She couldn't help but laugh at his attempts.

"What? Why are you laughing?" He asked clearly not pleased by her reaction to his pursuits.

"Nothing, its just entertaining that's all." Sakura replied giggling.

"…" He stopped what he was doing and glared at her.

Sakura smiled at him. "Don't stop because of me…"

"Then tell my why you're laughing at me!"

"I'm NOT"

"YES YOU ARE."

"Okay so I am…" Sakura threw him a slanted smile. "Its just that you look like you're trying way too hard. It's so unnatural its funny."

"Hn." Sasuke frowned.

"Did you want some help?"

"No."

"Suit yourself." She sat there with a mocking smile on her face as Sasuke tried again. It was only a few seconds that passed before Sakura started giggling again. Sasuke sighed in  
annoyance.

"What now?"

"Nothing!" Sakura shouted trying to keep her laughter in and failing miserably.

"Hn…"

Sasuke tried again but stopped when Sakura burst out laughing. He just glared at her as she laughed. His glare remained as she calmed herself down.

"Sorry… its just funny watching you struggle that's all."

"I'm not struggling."

"Really?" Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "Then you're just a really sucky actor."

Glare.

"So do you want me to help you or not?"

"Hn."

"What?"

"Hn."

"Is that a yes or a no? And if you answer with a 'Hn.' I will kick you out of my house!"

"Fine."

"Well."

"What? I said yes."

"Yes to what?"

"To your 'help''"

"You haven't asked for it."

Sasuke groaned.

"Well?" Sakura coaxed.

"Sakura will you help me?" Sasuke asked in a sarcastic grumpy tone.

Sakura smiled in triumph. _Well its progress…_

"Humm…" Sakura took the time to ponder for a second. "Okay lets try this… You memorized your lines right?"

Sasuke nodded. "Hn."

"Okay, so we'll go through this scene. I'm going to move in whatever way feels naturally to me… then you respond with whatever feels natural to do. We'll just play of each other's movements." Sakura looked at the stoic boy in front of her. She inwardly blushed because the scene that was chosen for tryouts was a love scene and any girl Haruno or not would be thrilled to be doing this scene with the Uchiha Sasuke. Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at her. "What I need to practice too!" She replied quickly realizing her cheeks were getting warm.

"Hn."

"Can't you answer me any other way than 'hn'?"

"Aaa…"

Sakura sighed. "Okay fine… shall we start?"

"Hn." Sakura rolled her eyes at his response and got up off the couch to stand up opposite of him. She took a deep breath in and slowly let it out.

(Okay this is the beginning of the scene from the play… I'm going to be stingy with some lines 'cause I don't want to give away too much 'cause this will be in a later chapter as well so bare with me here.)

--

"Kyo…" Sakura breathed starting her lines. Sasuke was taken back of how much emotion she had put into one breathe. Being onstage with her started to sound more interesting and intimidating. "Why do you have to go?" He back was turned to him, and his to her.

"Hime-sama," Sasuke started, he saw Sakura's expression as a challenge that he had to meet.

"I told you not to call me that…" She turned to face him; she looked saddened to see his back and not his face,

"Fey…" Sasuke turned around and looked into her sad, drooping eyes. "We both know I have no choice in the matter." Her gaze fell to the floor.

"Yes you do." She whispered, sounding near tears. "You don't have to do this."

"Of course I do." His voice raised, it made her tremble slightly. "Don't you see…" His voice lowered again as he stepped towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm  
doing this for you." He whispered in her ear.

She shrugged away from him. "Lies." She pushed passed him and walked a good 3 feet away, putting a barrier between them. "You're doing this for the kingdom, you're not doing this for me." Sakura's voice was croaky she really sounded like she was about to cry. _  
_

_She's good that this acting thing._ Sasuke thought to himself.

"Fey…" His voice sent shivers down her spine.

_He's really good that this…_ Sakura flushed.

**_Too bad he doesn't say our name like that_** her inner self pouted.

Sasuke took in a deep breath and let it out slowly before he continued. "I became a knight so I could serve you. I became a knight so I could protect you, so I could see you and fight for you. I became your knight, because I would do anything for you. I didn't become a knight for the kingdom."  
She didn't answer. Sasuke heard a few sniffles coming from his counterpart, and walked towards her taking her into his arms, embracing her from behind. He felt droplets fall onto the cloth of his sleeves. Sakura could feel his breath upon the nape of her neck and her ear.

"I'm a knight because I love you." He said into her. Sasuke fell to his knees and turned his princess around to face him. "My Princess… Shiibaku Fey… My Fey…" He took her hands into his and looked up at her pretty face. "Will you marry me?"

Sakura cracked a smile and let out a small happy laugh and nodded her head. "Yes." Tears streamed down her face. "YES!" She answered nodding her head frantically. Sasuke smiled and rose taking her into his arms wrapping his strong arms around her thin and delicate waist. She wrapped around his neck and help him close to her, she felt him pull her closer into his chest. Tears stopped falling, no words were said. They both pulled away slightly and gazed into each other's eyes.

_ Yeah I think Sasuke's finally got this acting thing down._ She smiled at him.

Sakura expected them to stop now that they had "perfected" the scene. Her hands came to rest on his chest and she expected him to let go, but he didn't. Instead he gazed into her eyes.

_They're soft… and warm. _

The sensation took over her. She felt her cheeks go warm as Sasuke leaned in. Sakura found herself leaning in too.

_ What the hell am I doing? _She questioned.

Sakura ordered herself to stop, but found that her body would just not listen to her. His breath lingered with hers for a moment before he went all the way, capturing her lips with his.

It felt good. His lips against hers. He was surprisingly warm and smooth against her. He tasted good too. Not something too sweet, nothing salty either, it was a taste that was both familiar and foreign to her. Sakura found herself addicted to the taste.

The kiss itself was not forced, it was not rough or soft. It was chaste and gentle. Filled with unreadable emotion. It enlightened something deep within her that she could not understand. All Sakura knew is that she didn't want him to stop.

But alas… all good things must come to an end. She felt Sasuke pull away. She opened her eyes not remembering when she had actually closed them and gazed into his. Silence overtook them for a mere second before Sasuke tumbled backwards realizing what he did.

"Umm…" He started not knowing what to say really.

Sakura couldn't help but feel slightly hurt by his actions. She turned from him, her cheeks flushed. "I think you should go…"

Silence.

"Hn."

Sakura didn't turn around. After a moment or so, she heard Sasuke let out a deep breath and pack up his things. She heard him walk to the door and open it.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He said his tone unreadable. Then the door shut.

Sakura let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She turned around scanning the room. There was no trace of him at all, as if he was never there. She touched her lips unconsciously, her mind digesting what just happened.

_ What the hell just happened?  
_

_** He kissed you, you fucking moron**  
_

_ he kissed me...  
_

_** YEAH** _Her inner self practically threw a party in her head_  
_

_ Uchiha Sasuke just kissed me  
_

she smiled.

--

Sasuke sat in his car in front of Sakura's building. He was breathing heavily. It was like his breath was totally taken from him the moment his lips touched hers. He traced his bottom lip with his finger.

_She was warm… _

_**Oooo some one got turned on!** _ His inner self mocked.

_Shut up._ Sasuke told himself.

_What the hell did I just do_? It finally really dawned on him. He, Uchiha Sasuke, had just kissed her, Haruno Sakura._  
_

**_ And you walked out. You should have stayed! Geez, fucking moron!_**

_Fuck _

Sasuke tensed, ignoring what his inner self was thinking.

_What'll happen tomorrow when I have to audition with her?  
**  
Kiss her again?**_

Sasuke flushed at the thought. He traced his lips once more.

_She tasted sweet… like cherries.  
_

* * *

TADA! 

okay so its not as long as the other chapters

frown

OH WELL!

till next time!


	12. Torn

**HELLO HELLO!!! **

wow it's been so long... gomen

anyway i hope you enjoy this chapter. i had a few difficulties writing it, with school,work and such...meh plus writer's block...MAJOR writer's block. (sigh)

ENJOY!!

as always i don't own naruto and etc...**  
**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Hidden talents, secret agendas. Part 6… Torn**

Sakura tapped her fingers on the desk nervously creating a sort of drum rhythm. She had come early, very early. It was about 7:05am now; she had been here just over half an hour hoping to devise a way to at least make today seem like any other day with Sasuke.

_ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!_ She screamed in her head. She shook her head violently and threw her fists up in the air, resembling a child slightly. She suppressed her scream, screaming with her mouth closed, filling the room with muffled cries.

_WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!_ Sakura slammed her head on the desk and groaned. _What the Fuck is this guy's problem!!!! ARGH!_

Sakura turned her head (still resting on her desk) towards the window. Her gaze fell to the empty desk beside her. She pictured Sasuke sitting there with that smirk of his. Sakura groaned again in frustration as she buried her face into the folds of her arms.

_Why did he have to fucking kiss me?_

**_What? Like you hated it._** Her inner self laughed. **_I quite enjoyed it actually. I wonder if he'll kiss us again today during auditions._**

_SHIT AUDITIONS! _Sakura banged her head in her desk again. _I totally forgot about the fucking auditions!!!_

_**Well yeah you've been thinking about Sasuke's lips since he kissed you.**_

Sakura's cheeks turned a very deep shade of red quite fast.

_I don't deny that I liked it… it was actually nice… err… in a way…_ She frowned. _Today is definitely going to be troublesome._

_**You're starting to sound like Shikamaru.**_

--

Akira made his way down the hallway to his locker. He had just finished his kendo practice. He passed by Sakura's homeroom and peered in by habit, after all there's nothing else to do. He expected it to be empty; he was surprised to see a mop of pink strands falling over the edge of a desk. She was looking out the window looking deep in thought. He wondered what was wrong. Before he knew it, he was walking in through the door.

"Sakura-san?"

She lifted her head to look at him; a soft greeting smile graced her lips.

"Ohiyo Akira-kun." She greeted.

"Are you alight?" He asked, noting how her eyes were glossed over and her posture was droopy.

_Aww, he's always so sweet to me._ Sakura thought to herself.

_**Shit. We totally forgot about Akira. You were thinking too much of Sasuke! **_

_What do you mean "you"? hah? You're part of me too!_

**_True… but I like Sasuke, wasn't it you that liked Akira?_**

_I DON'T LIKE ANYONE!_ She screamed at herself. _ I don't know how I feel._

"Sakura-san?" Akira's voice snapped her back to reality.

"Umm, yeah I think I'm okay." She responded, giving him a small assuring smile.

Akira took the seat next to her by the window, Sasuke's seat. "Are you sure?"

She let out a sigh. "Yeah." She noted how easily he fit into what was Sasuke's space. It sort of disturbed her seeing someone else in Sasuke's spot. She didn't' say anything though, to tell the truth she didn't know how she felt towards Akira and Sasuke at the moment. She didn't even want to think about it.

"You don't sound too convincing." He smiled at her. "Its ironic because you're such a great actress when we're doing scenes, but when you're trying to hide something, you're not a great actress at all."

She looked at him and giggled a bit. She smiled one of her brilliant smiles. Akira swore the room got brighter.

"Did I say something funny?" Akira asked. Blinking.

_Akira always has a way of making me smile._ Sakura thought.

"No, its' just that you always seem to find a way to make me smile."

Akira flushed. And rubbed the back of his head. "Do I??" He laughed nervously. "Is that a good thing?"

Sakura laughed at his antics, it amused her. "Yup!" She answered happily.

--

Sasuke cursed himself mentally for what happened he night before.

_Why did I kiss her?_

_**Don't lie to yourself Uchiha, you know you wanted to.**_

_No I didn't._

_**Yes you did.**_

_No I didn't._

_**YES YOU DID!**_

_NO I DIDN'T!_

_**(sighs) you're one sad, sad lonely man you know.**_

_Hn._ Sasuke scoffed.

He walked up the hallway towards homeroom. It was like 7:30 in the morning, he knew that no one really got into class until 7:45 or even 8:00 because Kakashi was always late anyway. Imagine his surprise when he heard voices. Imagine his surprise when he identified them to be none other than Izumo Akira, and Haruno Sakura.

_Why is he in there with Sakura?_ Sasuke snapped angrily in his mind.

**_Awfully possessive aren't you? And here I thought you didn't want her._** His inner mind teased.

_I…_ he went quiet for a brief moment.

_I DON'T._ Sasuke snapped afterwards.

_**Suuuuure. **_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. All he had to do was walk in there and Akira would leave right? Right? Sasuke took a breath and peeked into the room for the first time. His eyes widened in shock when he noticed that Akira was sitting next to Sakura, IN HIS SPOT. He felt his blood boil inside him. And She was… smiling?!

_**That bastard! What the fuck does he think he's doing?**_

_Bastard! What the fuck does he think he's doing?_

_**This guy really has some balls to sit in your place!**_

_This guy really has some balls to sit in my place!_

_**Asshole stole your girl too!**_

_Asshole stole my girl!!_ Sasuke paused after realizing what he just thought. _WHAT THE HELL?_

_**HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA! Oh God you're too easy.**_

_BASTARD!_

The quarrel brewing within Sasuke and his Id ceased when he heard his name from within.

--

"Neh, Sakura-san?" Akira asked rather bashfully.

"Hum?" Sakura looked up at him.

"I know it's really none of my business, but if you don't mind me asking…"

"Yes?" Sakura gave him a puzzled look.

"Umm, I was wondering… oh never mind forget it." Akira Shrugged.

"Akira-kun, we've been through this. If you have something to say to me, then just say it." Sakura pouted. "I hate it when you do that."

Akira blushed. "Okay… I just wanted to know, what's your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke…."

Sakura flushed, a mix of embarrassment and heart-fluttering matters concerning the Uchiha.

--

"...what's your relationship with Uchiha Sasuke?" Sasuke stiffened.

**_Wouldn't he like to know._** Sasuke's inner self snickered remembering the kiss Sasuke and Sakura shared.

_Why is he asking that? HE HAS NO RIGHT TO ASK THAT! IT'S NONE OF HIS BUSINESS! SAKURA BETTER NOT ANSWER HIM!_

Sasuke found himself standing on edge waiting for Sakura's response.

--

"W-with S-Sa-Sasuke-k-kun?" Sakura stumbled. She let out a nervous chuckle, you know the "eh-heh-heh-heh" one.

_WHAT THE HELL DO I TELL HIM?!?!?!_

_**THE TRUTH DUMBASS!**_

_RIGHT!_

"Eh… well… the truth is."

--

"…the truth is."

_FUCK WHAT IF SAKURA THINKS WE'RE AN ITEM BECAUSE I KISSED HER._

_**I wouldn't mind that…** _Sasuke's Id pondered with a goofy smile on its face.

_NOT HELPING!_

_**Hey, wouldn't it be nice to have Sakura as your girlfriend?**_

_I DON'T KNOW_

Sasuke's inner self shook his head at the boy in denial. Sasuke went back to eavesdropping.

--

"The truth is…"

_How do I put this…_ Sakura bit her lower lip.

"The truth is, Sasuke-kun and I… well, we're…"

--

"…Sasuke-kun and I… we're…"

_OH SHIT! OH SHIT! OH SHIT!_

Sasuke's entire body tensed up in anticipation.

--

"Sasuke-kun and I, well, we're just friends." Sakura finished. A smile plastered on her face.

_**THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT BY THE TRUTH SAKURA NO BAKA!**_

_SHUT UP! There's NOTHING between Sasuke-kun and I!_

To tell the truth Sakura was hurt saying that to herself. But she figured that it was just an accidental kiss because of the love scene they were rehearsing…

_After all, I told him to move in whichever way felt natural…_

--

"… we're just friends."

Sasuke let out a breath he was unintentionally holding.

_We're just friends…_ Her words seemed to echo in his mind.

_**You don't sound too happy to hear 'friends' **_

_Hn._

To tell the truth Sasuke was hurt. He wasn't sure why. There was just this empty knot feeling in his stomach that he just realized was there after Sakura has said 'friends'. And he didn't like it one bit.

--

"You're just friends?" Akira sighed in relief. "That's good to hear!"

"Eh?" Sakura looked at him in pure puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

--

"That's good to hear!"

_He sounds WAY too happy._  
Sasuke found himself glaring at the navy haired boy.

--

"Well…" Akira blushed. "I had asked, because I wanted to know if my efforts were going to be in vain…"

"You're efforts?" Sakura noted the way Akira was blushing and rubbing the back of his head.

--

_Efforts? What the hell is this guy rambling about?!_

Sasuke wondered.

--

"Yeah… well Sakura-chan…" Akira continued. "You see, well I… umm…"

"Yes?" Sakura coaxed him on.

--

'_Sakura-CHAN' What does he like her or something?_

_**DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING!!!!1111ONEONEONEONE. Jeez you're slow sometimes.**_

_Why is she encouraging him? He's just going to get shot down._ Sasuke scoffed.

_**My, my, aren't we confident in our handy work eh Uchiha?**_

--

"Well… I have feelings for you Sakura-chan…"

Sakura's eyes widened for a brief second, she blushed and looked downward. "I see…"

"That's why I needed to know your feelings towards Uchiha-san, because, you know, if you had feelings towards him, then I would let you go and continue to just be your friend, because well, you're happiness comes first to me…"

Sakura couldn't help but smile.

_He's so sweet. Maybe I should give him a chance?_

_**What about Sasuke?**_

_I don't know… he's so difficult, I don't know if I want to go through that…_

_**Shouldn't you give Sasuke a chance too? I vote we think about this before committing to ANYONE.**_

_You're right… _

--

Sasuke heard every single word. He peered in and found a fairly flushed Sakura and a beat red Akira. It made him angry.

_WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!_

_**HAHAHAHA! YOU ARE SOOO JEALOUS! **_

_I AM NOT!_

_**Then why are you so angry?**_

Silence.

--

Sakura pondered for a moment, then looked over at Akira, finding his handsome face beat red. She smiled her famous smile, then leaned in and gave him a sweet peck on the cheek. The poor boy was so red it reminded Sakura of a ripe tomato. She giggled a little bit.

"You are so sweet Akira-kun." Sakura beamed sweetly.

"So… will you go out with me?" Akira asked timidly, slowly recovering from his nerve-wracking confession.

--

Sasuke's fists tightened.

_DID SHE JUST…KISS HIM!!!!!!!!_

Sasuke's fists balled and shook with fury. His inner self was silent in shock of the pastel haired girl's actions.

_**He just asked her out too!**_

_Fuck! Shit! I've had ENOUGH of this!_ Sasuke thought.

He stormed into the classroom

--

_Akira just asked me out…_

_**Say no!**_

_Why no?_

_**What about Sasuke?**_

_Sasuke?... Sasuke…_ Sakura paused for a second. Then she noticed Sasuke walk into the room.

**_Ha! Must be fate._** Her inner self sighed in relief.

"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura whispered, Akira heard it. Pain hit him in the stomach, that she would say _his_ name instead of his own. He looked to find that she had said it because the Uchiha had just walked into the classroom. He then remembered that Sasuke was in the class too. Akira suddenly felt way too threatened by Sasuke's presence. Sasuke was now standing just to Sakura's right. Akira looked at the pink haired girl. She looked uncomfortable with Sasuke standing there. Her hands were fidgeting together on her lap and her gaze was down towards her desk, she was biting on her lower lip too. She seemed to do that a lot when she's nervous.

"You're in my seat." Sasuke spat.

"Sorry, I'll move then." Akira replied politely, trying not to sound phased. Sakura could tell he was a little intimidated. Akira got up out of Sasuke's seats and went behind Sakura so Sasuke could take his respected spot.

"Hn." Sasuke replied and shoved past Akira (rather rudely) and took his seat.

Sakura couldn't believe how rude Sasuke was being to Akira, after all, he didn't even know Akira right?

_So what the hell is his problem?_

_**Maybe he's jealous?**_

_Of what?!_ Sakura practically shrieked.

_**Akira?**_

_Why would he be?_

_**Well let's see… Akira was in Sasuke's seat… and he was hitting on you.**_

_I get the seat part, but since when did he care about who hits on me and who doesn't!!?!?_

_**Maybe he started to care…. He DID kiss you, you know.**_

Sakura went silent. He did kiss her.

_(groan) this is going to be a horrible day I can feel it._

"Sakura-chan…" Akira brought her attention back to him. "I guess I'll be going now."

Sakura's features softened. "Akira-kun… I –"

"Its okay, you don't have to answer me right now" He said cutting her off. He glanced at Sasuke finding him with his eyes narrowed and a frown on his face. Akira looked away. "I'll wait for your answer though… can we have lunch together today?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Sakura pondered for a moment. "Umm…"

"I'd like to run lines with you before the auditions."

"Actually, Anko-sensei wants me in the music room with Shizune-sensei for vocal training during lunch." Sakura answered her eyes to the floor. "Sorry Akira-kun, I can't run lines with you today."

Students started to fill the class now. A few girls came in spotting the three clumped around the desk, whispers erupting among them.

"Oh, okay, that's alright. I'll see you at the auditions then. Good luck Sakura-chan." Akira bowed to her and waved as he left the room.

Sakura watched him head towards the door, she felt sort of bad about the way the mornings events had ended. Akira was a good guy, and she could tell she had hurt him. She didn't like that feeling at all. "Matte, Akira-kun!" Sakura stood up. She didn't sense Sasuke's anger from behind her as she made her way to Akira. Akira turned around surprised to hear Sakura call him back. The girls in the room watched and continued to gossip about what they were seeing. Sasuke's jaw clenched in frustration.

_What the hell is Sakura doing? Just let him leave already!_ He thought.

"H-hai?" Akira stumbled as Sakura approached him. She smiled sweetly and placed a hand on his cheek, she then leaned in and planted quick chased peck on his other cheek. Sakura pulled away, clasping her hands in front of her and smiled at him. Akira turned red immediately because of her actions, Sasuke turned red immediately in rage, his fists clenched together.

"Thanks." She said still smiling at him.

"Eh? For what??" Akira asked.

"For making me feel better this morning." She tiled her head to the side slightly. "Thanks for that."

Akira smiled at her, his spirits lifting. "Believe me it was my pleasure."

Sakura bowed to him "Do your best today okay?" Her head rose when she said the last part.

Akira nodded. "Of course!" Sakura nodded back and waved as Akira made his way to his own homeroom.

Sakura sighed deeply, satisfaction pulsed through her body. _He doesn't deserve to be hurt._ Sakura thought as she made her way back to her seat. She caught a glimpse of Sasuke as she approached. He didn't look too happy. _What's his problem now?_ Sakura felt her smile fade as she sat down next to him. Silence lingered between the two of them for a few moments.

"What was that all about?" Sasuke asked. He sounded like he was trying to hold in his anger.

"Nothing." She responded.

"Didn't look like nothing." He snapped back.

"Well it was nothing." She snapped at him with just as much ferocity.

"Hn."

Silence.

"Why'd you ask?" Sakura looked at him for the first time that morning.

"No reason." Sasuke responded turning his gaze to the window. For some reason he just couldn't look the pink haired girl in the eyes.

"Tch." Sakura scoffed looking away from him. "liar…" She muttered under her breath.

"What did you say?" Sasuke's head snapped towards her.

"Nothing." Sakura shrugged refusing to look at him.

"Seriously, what did you call me."

"A liar."

Sasuke glared at her. "I'm not a liar."

"Then why'd you ask then?" Sakura turned to face him, emerald versus onyx in a glaring fight.

"Hn." Sasuke turned away unwilling to answer the question.

"What the hell kind of answer is 'Hn'? Didn't we go through this last night?" Sakura screamed at him fairly pissed off now.

"Hn." Sasuke answered. His mind raced to last night. Sasuke's cheeks turned a faint pink at the memory of her lips against his. He did his best to hide it from her. It didn't seem to hard, Sakura was too focused on being angry with him.

_Oh fuck she's mad at me now._

Sakura sighed in frustration and defeat; she turned away from him.

_He's such a royal pain in the ass!_

_**He seems angry**_

_I'M THE ONE WHO'S ANGRY! WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS! BUTTING INTO MY BUSINESS! ITS NOT LIKE WE'RE GOING OUT OR ANYTHING!_

**_You'd like that though wouldn't you_** her inner self snickered. Sakura blushed at the thought of belonging to Sasuke. She quickly tried to hide it though, and did so rather successfully; unfortunately she wasn't fast enough and was seen by a certain lazy brunette who was conveniently taking his seat.

He smirked and turned his attention to Sasuke intrigued by the fact that he had a faint touch of pink on his cheeks.

_Well, well, well… today will be fun._ Shikamaru thought to himself.

--

"So you see, the water is not the one pushing the cork, but the steam created and bottled up inside. Hot air has a tremendous amount of pressure…" Kakashi continued on with his lesson.

Sakura and Sasuke took notes diligently, both of them doing their best to ignore the other… or at least make the day seem normal around each other.

Sasuke did his best to keep his mind on Kakashi's lesson unfortunately he was failing miserably. He didn't want to admit it, hell he wouldn't ever do that, but he was seemingly upset about Sakura's voluntary show of affection towards Akira that morning.

_Freaking girl! What the hell was she thinking? Its not like she likes him or anything so what the hell. She's just leading him on, might as well end it before it starts. And what the hell was that guy thinking asking about our relationship like that!? What gives him the right to ask that anyway! Its none of his business at all. What the fuck is his problem?_

_**Woa, breathe, what the hell is your problem? If you're this pissed off Sakura won't even look at you. Calm down dude and focus on what's important.**_

_Right, what's important…_ Sasuke tuned back into Kakashi's lecture and took notes frivolously.

_**Not that dumbass! I meant getting Sakura's attention.**_

_And why the hell would I want to do that??_ Sasuke wondered, fairly shocked at himself, unaware that he had forcefully knocked Sakura's elbow with is own causing her to mess up her own notes. She glared at him forcefully. He turned his attention towards her finding himself intimidated by her angry aura. He glanced at her paper and noted the giant pen gash across her notes.

_**No wonder she's angry, you fucked up her notes. Remember what happened last time you fucked around with her notes?**_

Sasuke inwardly cringed. Sakura sighed heavily trying to calm her anger down.

_WHAT THE HELL IS HIS PROBLEM?!?!?!_ She was fuming inside. _MY NOTES! ARRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!_

**_Calm down girl, he touched you! _**Her inner self squealed. Sakura sighed again. She couldn't believe that her altar ego was such a freakken fan girl.

Sakura continued to glare at her seatmate. Sasuke, the genius that he is, glared back at her and mumbled. "It was an accident." Then he went back to his own note taking. Sakura puffed her cheeks and let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't know what she would do with this annoying brat next to her.

_That baka! He's not even apologizing! OH MY GOD THIS JERK!_ She didn't know how much of Sasuke's ego she could take anymore. Sakura was just about ready to blow her top at the '_stupidity of his childish actions_' as she had called it in her mind. Right now would really be a good time for a break. And just as luck would have it, the bell rang for lunch.

**BBBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG!**

"Thank God!" Sakura huffed grabbing her things and bolting out of there angrily.

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow at the pink haired girl. He gathered his own things, including the script and screenplay for the play.

"Anosa, anosa! What's wrong with Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked pouting like a child. He didn't even get to greet her good morning.

"Nothing." Sasuke snapped.

"Doesn't look like nothing." Shikamaru said eyeing the booklet in the Uchiha's hand.

"She said it was noting. Leave it at that." Sasuke snapped before pushing past them.

"Teme where are you going?" Naruto asked, finally taking notice of the book in Sasuke's grasp. "NEH ISN'T THAT THE SCRIP FOR THE SCHOOL PLAY?!" the outburst earned a _thwack_ from the Uchiha.

"DOBE! Don't say that out loud!"

"SASUKE ARE YOU TRYING OUT?!" Naruto mindlessly continued. Shikamaru sighed from behind them, rubbing his temples with his fingers he was going to have a ginormous headache today, he could feel it.

"Fuck." Sasuke muttered already feeling the swarm of girls around him.

"SASUKE-KUN! ARE YOU TRYING OUT? ME TOO!"

"WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT US ACTING TOGETHER SASUKE-KUN?"

"BE MY KNIGHT SASUKE-KUN!"

"SASUKE-KUN"

"SASUKE-KUN!"

"SASUKE-KUUUUUUUUUUNN!!!!!!" They all cooed blissfully ignorant to the popping veins in Sasuke's head and his twitching eyebrow.

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke roared and bulldozed his way out of the room, fan girls hot on his tail.

--

**KNOCK. KNOCK.**

"Shizune-sensei?" Sakura peeked her head through the music room door.

"Ah Sakura-san. Come in, come in." Shizune waved her over to the piano. "Sakura, the pianist is late, so for now do you think you can go over this?" Shizune asked politely handing Sakura a musical score.

"Umm… sure." Sakura said taking it into her hands, jade eyes scanning over the notes and lyrics. "Am I to sing this song?" Sakura questioned. Shizune nodded, ushering Sakura to take a seat at the piano.

_Hinata and Ten Ten said this girl is a musical genius lets see._ Shizune thought thinking of a plan. "Sakura," She began, "do you play the piano?"

"Umm, a bit." Sakura answered modestly. "It has been a while since I've done anything other than just fool around on one."

"Do you think you can play and sing?" Shizune asked realizing she might be pushing it. Sakura bit her lower lip contemplating on the idea. "It might help you learn the song faster neh?" Shizune encouraged. She inwardly sighed relieved when Sakura put on a soft smile and nodded. "Great! Try it once, and then I'll leave you to practice while I look for our missing pianist."

"Okay…" Sakura nodded nervously. She eyes drifted from Shizune to the score in front of her. She placed it on the piano and glanced at the keys, steadying her self to commence playing. Sakura took in a deep breath, glanced at the score once more then back at the piano keys, she let her breath out as her fingers graced the keys, playing the first bar, and then the second.

Shizune gaped in awe at the girl sitting before her. This was the first time Sakura had seen the musical score, or heard this song for that matter since it was an original composition, and here she was playing it with grace, dynamics and perfect accuracy right down to the crescendos and staccatos. Sakura continued to play the music gracefully, lip syncing the lyrics to the music. Shizune watched the girl's lips, realizing that Sakura was most likely guessing how the song was to go, and when the lyrics would be sung. What surprised her the most is that Sakura's guesses were right on the note. When Sakura had finished the piece Shizune could not help but applaud. Even if Sakura didn't sing the song out loud the first time through, she had played it perfectly- timing and rhythm both.

"Sakura that was… PEFECT!" Shizune praised. "Play it again, but sing it out loud this time." She was practically glowing with excitement.

Sakura nodded nervously yet again. She completed her ritual once more: taking in a deep breath, glancing at the score then back at the piano keys, then letting her breath out as her fingers graced black and white keys. Her voice was sweet and soft but dominant for attention. Higher than her usual speaking voice, but on key, not squeaky like Ino's Shizune noted. Shizune realized then why Sakura was picked for the role, she was utterly perfect for the part. _I must tell Anko!_ Sakura finished the song again, and again it was perfect, tone, pitch, timing, everything was just perfectly stage worthy.

"Sakura-san, stay here and practice, I'm going to go get Anko!" Shizune beamed and bolted out of the room before Sakura could answer with a quite

"Okay…" Sakura shrugged and looked back at the score. "It's a relatively easy song…" Sakura thought out loud to herself. "It's not like I'm a genius at this or anything." Sakura sighed and played the notes for the bridge. If Anko and Shizune wanted Sakura to sing this, and wanted this to be sung loud, there was no way she could do it sitting down playing the piano and crushing her diaphragm. "I hope they realize that." Sakura mumbled, and when through the song again.

--

Sasuke had finally managed to loose his fan girls. He looked around the hallway at the lockers and the classrooms. After running all around the school he had seemed to loose track of where he was. Sasuke heard the faint sound of a piano down the hall.

_Oh, okay I know where I am now. I'm in the east wing, the arts department._

_**Aren't you a smart one? 'Cause you know, the music didn't give it away now did it?**_

… _Fucking annoying altar ego-shit._

Sasuke made his way over to the music room the door was slightly open. The music stopped as he approached it. He peered in through the crack of the door.

_Sakura?_

Somehow he wasn't surprised she was there sitting at the piano, he was however curious as to why the girl was alone. He eyed her from afar. She seemed tired. Her shoulders were slumped over and she was leaning forward towards the piano keys. He couldn't tell where her hands were, though he assumed they were on her lap or resting on the keys of the piano. Her head was tilted upward her eyes to the ceiling. Her knees met together, one foot tucked neatly under the piano stool, the other off to the side at an angle. She seemed tired, sort of sad, kind of.

_What wrong with her?_ Sasuke wondered.

_**Concerned are we?**_

_Pfft. NO._

_**Liar.**_

_I'm not lying._

_**Suuuuuree there.**_

Sasuke began to become frustrated with himself, not that he wasn't already. The spark of his aggravations caused him to bang his fist on the door. Sakura jumped in her seat at the sound and whipped around to where it came from.

"Sasuke?" Sakura blinked. _What the hell is he doing here?_

Sasuke's ears perked up, his eyes widened when his gaze met hers. Realization dawned on him.

_Fuck! What the hell was I thinking?_ He didn't answer her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked. Sakura sighed when silence was her answer. "Fine, don't answer me." She huffed and turned her attention back to the piano laying her fingertip gingerly on the keys. Sasuke didn't move from his spot at the door. Sakura started to play. Sasuke continued to gaze at her back. The music lingered in the air. Sasuke closed his eyes and let the music consume him. It was calming but fierce. It was like it was drawing him forward he unconsciously took a step into the room; his body was acting on its own again. But the music held such emotion, emotion that he never held, that he would never know. Or so he thought.

"I think he went this way." A high-pitched voice interrupted, Sasuke snuck a peek down the hall. Fan girls. They had found him.

_Fuck._ Sasuke swore and shoved himself into the room closing the door behind him. He quickly went up behind Sakura and grabbed her wrist preventing her from playing. Sakura was startled and stopped playing, turning to look at Sasuke with an angry glare.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YO—mmmffffffhhh" Sakura mumbled as Sasuke cupped her mouth. Sakura struggled against his grip; Sasuke held her tighter and close to him.

"Shhh…" He whispered into her ear. Sakura stopped struggling. His breath was warm against the bare of her neck and the tips of her ears. She couldn't help it. Sakura had ever been this close to a guy before. She was practically pressed into his chest. His arms encircled her perfectly in a way that was both intimidating and comforting at the same time. Sakura felt her heart race quicken.

_Why does he affect me so?_

_**Isn't it obvious? You like this Sasuke guy. See he isn't so bad after all now is he. **_

Sakura merely blushed. She was thankful that Sasuke was behind her and couldn't see her face.

"Oh Sa-su-ke-kun!!!" the fan girls cooed. From down the hall.

_Fuck they're getting closer._ Sasuke cringed not realizing that he was pulling Sakura in closer to him as he did so.

Sakura's heart was pounding. She was scared that Sasuke would be able to hear it. Sakura forced herself not to be swayed easily by him.

--

Sasuke's heart was pounding. He had to admit, she felt perfect against him.

_WAIT! That's not why I'm here!_

_**Ruin my fun why don't you.**_

_SHUT IT!_

Sasuke's quarrel with his inner-self came to a halt when he heard someone at the door.

_**FAN GIRL ALERT!!! RUN, RUN, RUN, RUN!!**_

Sasuke glanced around the room. Where the hell was he supposed to hide??? Behind the piano? Too obvious. Behind the drums? No that wouldn't cover him. Stands? No.

_Fuck!_

Sasuke's charcoal eyes scanned the room. Closet? It might be tight, but it'll do. The sounds at the door multiplied. It was now or get caught. Without giving it a second though, he made a break for the storage closet.

--

_He's a jerk! He's a jerk! He's a jerk!_

_**A really hot jerk who can kiss really, really well!!**_

_NOT HELPING!!! ARRGHH!!!_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Sasuke jerked her towards the closet.

"SA-UUMMMPHH" That's right, Sasuke's hand was still over her mouth. She struggled to pull it off her. The two of the reached the closet. Sasuke let her go only long enough to open the closet door. She gladly took the opportunity.

"Sasuke what the fuck are you doing?"

He glared at her for being slightly louder than she needed to be, then at the door.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm hiding from those fucked up girls." Sasuke replied in a harsh whisper.

"Girls?" Sakura glanced around the room, her emerald eyes landing on the door.

_That makes sense. Maybe I should let him get caught. _Sakura smirked inwardly.

_**Or you can get in the closet with him.**_

_NO WAY IN HELL AM I GETTING IN THAT CLOSET WITH HIM. WHAT IF HE'S A PERVE!_

_**He's a guy Sakura, a really, really hot guy. Who cares!**_

_I DO!!!!_ Sakura practically shrieked at her laughing altar ego.

She snapped out of it when Sasuke grabbed her wrist to pull her into the closet too.

"What are you doing?"

"Hiding, I though we established that already, aren't you supposed to be smart?"

"Hey!" Sakura frowned at the comment, but brushed it off anyway. "Why am I hiding too?"

"They already hate you, who knows what will happen if they find you ALONE."

Sakura pondered for a moment, but before she could answer she heard the door starting to open. Sasuke pulled her into the closet forcefully closing it behind them.

"Just get in here!" He hissed between his teeth.

The space was tight, a little too tight. Sakura found herself pressed up against Sasuke's chest yet again, but this time she was chest to chest with him in the pitch-black closet. Truth be told, Sakura was a little cluster-phobic, but having Sasuke there sort of gave her some sort of comfort.

_**Well at least he can't see you blush. (squeal) His chest is hard. **_

"Kami-sama… why me…" Sakura muttered accidentally out-loud. Sasuke caught it. He wasn't sure why, but the remark crated an uneasy piercing feeling in the pit of his stomach.

_Does she hate me?_

_**Why don't you ask her?**_

…

Silence. Sasuke decided to take his mind off the girl pressed up against him. He closed his eyes, not that he could see her in the dark anyway. He could feel her there, but not see her. He listened to the sounds beyond the door. The fan girls were in the room all right. He could hear the clicking of their high heels, weren't they supposed to wear flats? Then again he didn't really abide by the dress code much either. Sakura did. Sakura, she had tensed when the sounds came closer to their hiding spot. He glanced down at her. The longer he stared at her spot the more his eyes came into focus. He could make out her hair now… and some parts of her face. Was she shaking? She was. Sasuke leaned into her, his lips hovering over her ear.

"Are you okay?" His voice showed concern.  
Sakura's eyes widened. Was he being _nice_ to her?

_Is it just me or did he sound concerned? _

_**He cares! SCORE!**_

_Uhgg, shut it will you?!_

"Sakura?" his voice got her attention once again, she tilted her head up towards his. Her emerald eyes seemed to be able to focus on his face easily even in the dark. Her eyes caught note of the way his lips were pressed into a thin line, the way his eyebrows were knitted together, but what caught her attention were his eyes, the distant-ness she usually saw in them were gone and replaced with… what was that? Sadness?

_He has such sad eyes…_ Sakura thought to herself.

Their eyes met and held gaze for quite a while; both were slightly alarmed of how easily they got lost in it.

"He's not here" the voice was right outside the closet door. The girl's voice startled Sakura and on reflex, she jerked forward into Sasuke's chest. Sakura let out a small squeak as she did so. Sasuke on instinct caught the girl in his arms, pulling her closer to him. Unfortunately the girl right outside the closet heard Sakura's squeak.

"Nee, did you guys hear something?" The girl asked. "I swear I just heard something from inside this closet."  
"Yumi-chan you're hearing things, like Sasuke-kun would hide in a closet, he's too cool for that." Another girl said unbelieving. S-drop, how ironic.

Sasuke and Sakura stood frozen in the tiny closet. Sasuke's hold on the pink-haired girl tightened as he frantically looked around the tiny closet for a place to hide if the girls decided to open the closet door.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. Fuck._ Sasuke's eyes continued to scan the tiny space, his eyes forcing themselves to focus.

"Sa-Sasuke" Sakura choked out.

"Did you guys here that?" The girl, Yumi, who was standing in front of the closet door said. "I swear I heard someone's voice from inside this closet!" the sound of Yumi shifting her weight towards the closet door sent waves of panic through both Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke's eyes continued to search frantically in the dark for a place to conceal themselves from Yumi and the other crazy obsessed girls. _There!_ Sasuke mentally kicked himself for not noticing the pile of boxes pressed against his back. He heard the knob of the door shuffle as if Yumi's hand had already grasped the knob.

"Yumi-chan." Another voice called. "You don't really think Sasuke-kun would hide in there do you?"

Hesitation. Sasuke seized the chance and pulled Sakura with him backwards behind the stack of boxes.

"Doesn't hurt to look." And with that Yumi hulled the door open. Light flooded the closet.

Sakura could feel Sasuke's heart pounding in rhythm with her own. She could feel Sasuke's chin upon her head and her face was buried into the crook of his neck, his arms wrapped protectively, almost possessively around her petit frame. Perfect fit it seems.

"See nothing in there!" the other girl said now coming up behind Yuki. "Lets go!" she said shutting the closet door. Again footsteps could be heard. The girls left the room noisily in pursuit of their obsession.

Sakura shivered in Sasuke's arms, slightly uncomfortable with being this close to him. Sasuke didn't let loose his grip on the girl. Not just yet, he gave her a light squeeze and she became still. The two of them waited until they were sure the girls had left the room. They listened to the clicking of heels become faint, a door opening, more footsteps followed by the door closing. They waited patiently although on the inside the two of them were on edge. Once Sasuke was sure the music room was vacant he let Sakura out of his grasp and pushed open the closet door.

Sakura stepped out first, completely unsure of what to do. Sasuke followed suit and stood next to her. The closet door slammed shut causing Sakura to tense up in surprise. She suddenly became aware of the utter stillness in the room.

_I don't know what I'm supposed to do?_ Sakura thought to herself…

_Why is my heart beating so fast? Why does his touch put me at ease? Why?_

Sakura stole a glance up at Sasuke from the corner of her eye. He too seemed deep in thought.

_Sasuke… do I like you?_


End file.
